By Leslie Kim Thirty Years And Counting It’s 1986 and individual companies in Southern California, the recognized birthplace of staged auto …
May 12, 2015
A DOG’S TAIL By K. Charles Spaniel I am a dog; to be more specific, I am a pedigreed Cavalier King Charles …
May 12, 2015
TARGET: LIFE INSURERS By Kimberly B. Face, Staff Gone are the days of costly divorces. Gone are the days of “I’m dying; …
May 12, 2015
MONEY LAUNDERING: NGO’S AND CHARITIES By L. Burke Files NGO’s and Charities have slowly evolved, under the radar, to become significant channels …
May 12, 2015
MEDICAL REVIEWS: SEARCHING FOR NEEDLES IN THE HAYSTACK By Adolpho Nunez-Guererra, M.D. Last night, taking a break from the never-ending stack of …
May 12, 2015
The final insertion to any John Cooke Fraud Report copy is always the editorial. It’s written almost on the way to the …
May 12, 2015
By Stephen Mason, PhD Insurance fraud is rarely a crime of impulse. Although I am not signifi- cantly closer to thoroughly understanding …
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) is stepping up (Ii w,i, on health care fraud —naming David Ignatius, a seasoned …
February 21, 2014
Understanding the naming conventions of other cultures is important for an investigator or for anyone wishing to certainly and correctly identify people …
February 21, 2014
Percentage-wise, it is the fastest growing form of fraud. The National Consumer League’s Internet Fraud Watch results for 1999 are in … …
February 21, 2014
Donna Gallagher is a tough cookie. But she has to be tough because she manages the Fraud Investigation Program (FIP) for the …
February 21, 2014
The Employment Development Department, the Franchise Tax Board, the Department of Industrial Relations and the Contractor’s State License Board combined forces and …
February 21, 2014
NYAAIF. New initials in the fight against insurance fraud. It stands for the New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud and was founded …
February 20, 2014
The Insurance Bureau of Canada’s Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, after estimating the cost of fraud to each policyholder at about $150, set …
February 20, 2014
Mutual of Omaha began taking a special look at medical claims being presented on behalf of employees at the MGM Grand Hotel …
February 20, 2014
By Barry Zalma Louise Rosenberg lived very well, and alone, in beautiful Marin County, California. She had earned an exceptional living as …
February 20, 2014
It was Code 90844 that heavily figured in the guilty verdict. To bill this level of service, a psychiatric patient must be …
February 20, 2014
Companies may not be too happy about the latest in mega-judgments levied against an insurer. A Los Angeles Superior Court handed down …
February 20, 2014
The Mystery was Solved and Justice Prevailed The crooks name was Marcus Fontaine. Investigators who’ve been around for awhile might remember the …
By L. Burke Files Identity theft is a growing concern. It is a growing concern because it is a growing crime. It …
February 19, 2014
In a survey of 169 medical doctors (Archives of Internal Medicine), 73 percent said they would lie to get treatment for a …
February 19, 2014
There’s a new law that will hopefully make computer hackers think twice before they willfully spread a virus. ‘Iltey are now subject to …
February 19, 2014
Sylvia Mitchell did not let ‘a simple little problem get in the way of her marriage to 85year-old Andrew Vlasto of Las …
February 19, 2014
By: Jon E. Crosby, CFE, FCLS The late Jack Webb, star of the 1950s and 1960s television series Dragnet, made famous the …
February 19, 2014
By Kelly E. Riddle There are many court cases on record that affect the way private investigators conduct surveillance. The cases listed …
February 19, 2014
By Brett Hooker, CIFI Having recently returned from a vacation in northern Illinois, a vacation that included a trip to Comiskey Park, …
February 19, 2014
Southern California has a new system to allow drivers to whiz past all the traffic and get where they are going much …
February 19, 2014
By Leslie Kim, CFE What’s happening north of the border in the fraud world? “We’re experiencing the loss of many high end …
February 18, 2014
FROM OUR RESEDENT ALIKIM TECHNO-GEEK By Dorothy Montague It really happened folks. Yes it is now the 21st Century not the 20th …
February 18, 2014
THE HISPANIC POPULATION IS GROWING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS WITH IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING FROM ALL PARTS OF LATIN AMERICA. SINCE WE PUBLISHED THE …
February 18, 2014
VOLUNTEERED: $285,000 BIG ONES A Roxbury hospital has agreed to pay more than $250,000 in restitution to the state’s Medicaid Program, to …
February 18, 2014
Sunshine State Mortgage Cheat Busted Federal authorities allege that James Christianson was the top man in a rip-off scam which operated under …
February 18, 2014
The Claims Details run the gamut. Self-employed California man hospitalized with cardiac arrest and massive Myocardial infarction in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Retired …
February 18, 2014
In December 1991, a man was hired to torch a house in the San Diego area. After extinguishing all the pilot lights …
February 18, 2014
Dear Sherry Q: Recently I was assigned a claim on a slip and fall at a bank. The injuries were severe and …
February 18, 2014
By D. Michael Bush So far, there have been no new bills introduced for the next session that involve insurance fraud in …
February 18, 2014
Two former officers of Twentieth Century Life Insurance Company have been indicted in Florida. The two are suspected of diverting almost $9.7 …
February 18, 2014
Clinique Cam Thach, a Westminster, CA, cosmetic surgery clinic, was run by Elizabeth Cam Thach Thi Le. The clinic did big business …
February 18, 2014
By Roger Trent Fraud investigators have become proficient at decoding social security numbers; ascertaining in what locale and in what year the …
February 18, 2014
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA NOVEMBER MBER 13-16, 1994 By Susan E. Clarke Meeting the Challenge of Change was the theme for this years …
February 18, 2014
When a claim report for an automobile fire is made, it is very important to treat the claim as legitimate to avoid …
February 18, 2014
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA By Robert Kegel San Joaquin County, in central California, is not the place to go these days if …
February 18, 2014
By Paul Bigley In recent years we have seen a tremendous increase in “double-dipping,” and in many cases even “triple-dipping,” with regard …
February 18, 2014
California Several bills passed by the legislature were considered by Governor Pete Wilson. Wilson’s veto of one bill, the “Homeowners Bill of …
February 18, 2014
THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT By Susan E. Clarke An investigation conducted by the Kentucky State Police, the U.S. Postal Service, and the U.S. …
February 18, 2014
By Eric Tackett Investigative medical audits are, without question, one of the most effective and yet one of the most under-used tools …
February 18, 2014
“And what other treatment did the doctor give you for your LEFT KNEE, Joe?” There’s nothing more gratifying than having Joe Claimant …
February 18, 2014
DESK TOP INVESTIGATING Understanding the naming conventions of other cultures is important for an investigator or for anyone wishing to certainly and …
By Paul Conway Recently I came across a document that I will refer to as Counsel for Doctor Sues. This is a …
February 17, 2014
Phoenix Auto Scams Come to a Screeching Halt By Susan E. Clarke A multimillion dollar insurance fraud ring in the Phoenix area was …
February 17, 2014
SE HABLA ESPANOL? PARLEZ VOUZ FRANCAISE? SPRECHEN SSE DEUTSCH? By Margie Stern FACTS The United States grants legal immigration status to more …
February 17, 2014
By Leslie Kim White sand beaches Flower scented breezes T-back bikinis Sunshine Wind-surfing Fresh seafood Rampant insurance fraud… Mike Anderson moved to …
February 17, 2014
In observing the sentences being handed down for insurance fraud crimes, I cannot help but wonder at the reason for the imbalance …
February 17, 2014
Best Headline Bloopers Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers Safety Experts Say School Bus …
February 17, 2014
The accusations are damning. Michael, Keen is alleged to have gone boating in November, 1981, with his pregnant wife, Anita, and his …
February 17, 2014
It had to happen. The nationwide epidemic of litigation fever has spawned an explosion of lawsuits against attorneys, pushing legal malpractice rates …
In keeping with their reputation as the feistiest little fraud-fighting county in the state of California (Editor’s Note: and we’d put ’em …
February 17, 2014
In a certain building located in LA’s 6000 block of Wilshire Boulevard, PI attorney Jeremiah Slimebag shared an office with his deaf …
February 17, 2014
Dear Sherry During the past year, as questions about investigations have been submitted to me for this column, several questions seem …
February 17, 2014
ARIZONA Gregory Enswiler, a 31-year-old, Arizona construction worker, is not a happy camper. He recently had the dubious honor of being the …
February 16, 2014
A Sacramento man had an inborn talent for making up stories to support the various claims he filed. In 1991 he sued …
Indianapolis, IN — The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies released a new fraud video series designed to help insurance companies identify …
February 16, 2014
Understanding the naming conventions of non-European cultures is important for an investigator or anyone wishing to certainly and correctly identify people in …
February 16, 2014
So, there you are, stuck at your desk in Wisconsin, when you receive a suspicious claim originating in Alabama. What should you …
February 16, 2014
It could have been worse … way worse. Francois C. Maisonneuve could have been sentenced to five years in jail and fined …
February 16, 2014
By Diane Kellner Arab World The incidence of fraudulent death claims in the Middle East is increasing. Countries in this area of …
February 15, 2014
By D. Michael Bush A couple of weeks ago, I attended a seminar given by a chiropractor on how a chiropractor can …
February 15, 2014
INSURANCE JOURNAL REPRINT By Barry Zalma In California and several other states, before a car can be insured, the agent must photograph …
February 15, 2014
By Dan King If the investigator compares “Appendix C” and determines that the group numbers have not been issued or are out …
February 15, 2014
HEY, BABY, WHAT’S YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER? Editor’s Note: In our May/June 1994 issue, we published an investigative “HOW-TO” guide to social …
February 15, 2014
How much does the average company pay for all those record searches ordered through information brokers? Would you be surprised to know …
February 15, 2014
It was truly a family affair, and an astounding one at that! Mom is Diane Jackson, owner of a home health care …
February 15, 2014
Once upon a time Arthur Ramirez owned a white 1992 Thunderbird. It was financed through the Ford Motor Credit Corporation and insured …
February 15, 2014
Trouble is, the sexily attired bicycle rider was a guy! But wait, it gets better … Kelly Strain, a 33-year-old air-conditioning installer, …
February 15, 2014
In observing the sentences being handed down for insurance fraud crimes, I cannot help but wonder at the reason for the imbalance …
February 15, 2014
SOME CROOKS ARE DOCTORS; SOME DOCTORS ARE CROOKS By Michael J. Stahl, D.C. Stephen M. Foreman, D.C. Real doctors are often asked …
February 15, 2014
By Bill Kizorek and Scott Finger Identifying fraudulent activity is just one part of the overall duty of the special investigator. To …
February 14, 2014
In 1964, a San Francisco attorney represented a woman who claimed to have been injured by a cable car. The lawyer claimed …
February 14, 2014
By John H. Wood There is a wealth of knowledge available from a wide variety of computer databases around this country that …
November 26, 2013
RECIPE FOR FRAUD The recipe requires a heavy dose of real live customers recruited as policy buyers, however in this particular scam …
November 26, 2013
EVEN THE ENLIGHTENED CAN FALL PREY By John Garrison, CPCU You ride a desk on the inside of the insurance industry. However, …
November 26, 2013
TOO JUICY FOR JUST A GOTCHA The woes of Ophthalmologist (oops, make that now FORMER Ophthalmologist) Joseph Mermelstein began almost ten years …
November 26, 2013
CALIFORNIA There is more money in Medicare fraud than there is in preaching, or so discovered Charles Agbu and his daughter Obiageli …
November 26, 2013
MISSOURI TRAGEDY In a family’s cooperative plot that went horribly wrong, 15-year-old Zachariah Kemper burned to death because he could not escape …
November 26, 2013
FILE THIS IN THE “STUFF I NEED TO KNOW” BOX Each facility will have a list of approved acronyms, abbreviations, and symbols. …
November 26, 2013
Dr. Arthur Porter has quite a story. Originally born in Freetown, Sierra-Leone, Porter was educated in Africa and at Cambridge, Harvard and …
November 26, 2013
How can a guy who spent about 14 years in medical school have such pathetic math skills? Dennis Barson, a neurologist from …
November 26, 2013
Understanding the naming conventions of other cultures is important for an investigator or for anyone wishing to …
November 26, 2013
SEPTA DOES NOT STAND FOR “SEE ‘EM PAY THE ACCIDENT” Lance Henderson was not a happy camper when his supermarket slip-and-fall claim was …
November 26, 2013
PLAYING FOOTSIE WITH MEDICARE Straight out of Guilford, Connecticut, we have Podiatrist Richard Sockoff, oops, we mean Sokoloff, who has plead guilty …
November 26, 2013
SEVEN PICTURES ARE WORTH A THOUSAND LIES Bryan Gilbert Robb’s smartphone was smarter than he was. After reporting a burglary at his …
November 26, 2013
FIREBUGS GO WILD in CA, NY and WI “Hang down your head Bill Bailey, hang down your head and cry. Hang down …
November 26, 2013
… to John Romero, upon his retirement from the top spot in the Lawrence, Massachusetts, police department. Romero was the power behind …
November 26, 2013
SLASHING THROATS FOR THE SAKE OF PROFIT It is a story of secret recordings, bloodcurdling accusations, and exactly how far a for-profit …
November 26, 2013
A NEW DIRECTION IN AUTO CLAIMS By Lou Stanley Fraud fighters are constantly looking for new approaches to old problems and old …
November 26, 2013
By Barry Zalma The story that follows is based on fact. It is, however, a work of fiction. The names, places and …
November 26, 2013
Healthcare? Worker’s comp? Auto accidents? Slip and falls? Insurers survive and thrive because of their ability to sort the valid from the …
November 25, 2013
FightFraudAmerica.com went live about six months before the refocusing of two of the fraud-fighting support organizations known primarily by their initials. One …
November 25, 2013
“TWAPPED BY A TWITTER” It was a rather cool case of working together — and Wanda Lee Ann Podgurski’s twittered taunt of …
November 25, 2013
REVISTING THE KAITLYN ARQUETTE CASE It’s been nearly two decades since Southern California fraud defense attorney Michael Bush introduced me to one …
November 25, 2013
By Dennis B. Kass The first step in combating insurance fraud is to recognize that there truly is a problem. Is there …
November 25, 2013
CERTIFIED DOCUMENT EXAMINERS AND FRAUD Graphology is a combination of the Greek word graphein, which means “to write,” and the suffix “ology, …
November 25, 2013
By L. Burke Files If you’re part of the John Cooke reading audience, chances are that you work for an insurance carrier, …
November 25, 2013
Catch as catch can. If you’ve tried to reach me during the day in early summer and we didn’t connect, keep on …
November 25, 2013
APPLYING THE LESSONS OF HISTORY By Joseph D. Serio, PhD The story of the Russian “mafia” as told by most will be …
August 19, 2013
ALASKA We think that he got off easy. A Russian man, Rustem Mukhametshin, who arrived in the US on a student visa …
August 19, 2013
IT AIN’T OVER UNTIL THE DOCTOR SINGS They got the pharmacist, “Bob” Patel, RPh, and handed down a Federal District Court sentence …
August 19, 2013
Understanding the naming conventions of other cultures is important for an investigator or for anyone wishing to certainly and correctly identify people in …
August 19, 2013
IN CASE YOU EVER WONDERED …. No Language Family Script(s) Used Speakers (Millions) Where Spoken (Major) …
August 19, 2013
MEDICAL NOTES HAVE A LANGUAGE ALL THEIR OWN. The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Facilities requires that each facility maintain a …
August 19, 2013
JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU’VE HEARD IT ALL Identity Theft = two very scary words. Everyone knows those words. Everyone fears them. Everyone …
August 19, 2013
(YES, WE MADE UP THAT WORD; WHO CARES WHAT WEBSTER THINKS?) As Hurricane Sandy took her toll on the eastern seaboard, she …
August 12, 2013
SPEAKING OF NAMES… Two of the names from the 90210 (divided by) 31 ( (+ or -) 5 million = 33 (to the …
THE NEW MATH — THE MATH OF FRAUD Now put it into a story problem, sez you! How about this: 90210 resident …
August 12, 2013
We go all the way to Russia this time and find a Stupid Fraudster, a Smart Driver and an out-of-control situation. Making a …
August 12, 2013
(We Are Equal Opportunity Offenders) [color-box color=”blue”] Claims Reps A distraught policy holder called her company to report that her house …
August 12, 2013
WHEN INSURERS CONSPIRE TO DEFRAUD By Barry Zalma Many individuals were involved in a farreaching and long-lasting scheme to deceive persons about …
One of the best kept secrets is learning how to figure out what groups participate with one another in criminal activity — …
August 12, 2013
[color-box color=”gray”]No one will dispute that, given the risks involved, a soldier’s paycheck is on the low side. No one will dispute …
August 1, 2013
BUMP AND BUILD AUTO IMPACTS By William King, Jr. When the Honda vehicle rear ended the Ford vehicle, both sustained only cosmetic …
August 1, 2013
WE MAY INDEED BE DOOMED — THREE CALLS THE CHARM By Anonymous Beginning Blood Pressure: 115/72. First Call: To an A+ Best’s …
There’s no doubt about it. When economic times are difficult, the number of claims submitted on stolen/burned cars goes up. The reasons …
August 1, 2013
WHEN THE SCALES OF JUSTICE ARE WOEFULLY UNBALANCED A retired-after-31-years-in-the-National- Guard-reservist is going to have three and a half years behind bars …
August 1, 2013
It might not have a lot to do with insurance fraud, however as responsible reporters the Editors of The John Cooke Fraud …
August 1, 2013
In the last issue we wrote about Cassie Chadwick, the woman who really should have had the Ponzi scheme named after her …
August 1, 2013
In an indictment issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, Leroy Nelson could very well be in …
August 1, 2013
Healthcare? Worker’s comp? Auto accidents? Slip and falls? Insurers survive and thrive because of their ability to sort the valid from the …
August 1, 2013
SIU AND DEFENSE COUNSEL The standard model of the Special Investigation Unit (“SIU”)/Outside Counsel partnership is what you could describe as the …
August 1, 2013
There was a terrible tragedy in Mark Center, Ohio, in November, 2003. A ten year old boy accidentally shot his own father …
August 1, 2013
DEFINITELY NOT THE SMARTEST CRACKER IN THE BOX Dauphin County, PA, has an estimated population of 270,000. These Harrisburg area residents include …
August 1, 2013
In a mid-April announcement, two people are charged with pig-skin fraud. Marcus Buckley, New York Giants linebacker now living in Texas, has …
August 1, 2013
MISSOURI MISERY When the U.S. Attorney’s office teams up with the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General, the Department of …
August 1, 2013
Nineteen years is a long time. Good old John Cooke is now old enough to go to war (in a way, he …
August 1, 2013
DOWNSIZING SIUS – A COST-SAVING MEASURE OR AN OPEN DOOR POLICY By Tommy Short This Shakespeare quote is from a line in …
May 30, 2013
Understanding the naming conventions of other cultures is important for an investigator or for anyone wishing to certainly and correctly identify people …
May 1, 2013
Some stories make you want to laugh and cry. For the victim. For the bad guys. This is one of those stories. …
The arrest took place in December, 2011, but the matter reached the preliminary hearing stage a year later. The accused, Carlos Guzmangarza …
By Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE © 2013 Insurance claims handling is a profession that requires a jack-of-all-trades and a master of insurance …
The saga began on March 27, 2009, when a Tacoma, Washington, man, Yevgeniy Samsonov, was involved in a minor traffic accident. The …
The owner of Texas Durable Medical Equipment Company, Hugh Willet of Fort Worth, was been found guilty of six counts of health …
A recent South Carolina investigation has revealed a case of “Not.” A sure finalist in the “Sickest Frauds in Recent History” competition …
May 1, 2013
(From long time friend Bob, an SIU-er from Minnesota and a really smart guy. Shared in JCFR with permission of the writer.) …
May 1, 2013
Latin America: An abrazo (hug) or beso (kiss) is a typical …
May 1, 2013
Neelam (wife) and Sanjiv (hubby) Kakkar are in deep Kakkar. After purchasing the Brookdale Inn and Spa in 2007 for $5.3 million, …
Born in 2006 as a division of Alikim Media (same parent as John Cooke), FFA is among the most extensive fraud education …
If brains were measured in breast size, this lady needed help. In fact, that’s why 23-yearold Amanda Perkins says she dumped gasoline …
May 1, 2013
This issue’s Stupid Award is a slam dunk. Straight from Stromsburg, Nebraska, comes 19 year old Hannah Sabata — who stunned York …
PERHAPS THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN INVESTIGATION Si, Senor! En Mexico, Tienemos Databases! Fact: Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in …
Federal law 18 U S C 2511(2)(d) defines the overall right of one involved person to record telephone calls and/or in-person conversations. …
If you’ve ever wondered what the number and distribution of fraud complaints filed with the FTC in a …
By Diana McG Having spent more than two decades as an SIU investigator and a claims adjuster, I say with certainty that …
There’s nothing new about fraud. From fake jewels and cleverly plated gold in Phoenician times, all the way to the present, the …
By L. Burke Files There are state laws, local laws, and federal laws all dealing with ID theft, and yet it still …
May 1, 2013
Alabama A newly enacted law, Act 12-429 (Insurance Fraud), assigned a Class B Felony Status to frauds over $1,000 and a Class …
May 1, 2013
The amount of insurance fraud estimated to be occurring in India’s $70 billion dollar a year insurance market is approaching 10 percent …
By Mike Sankey This article examines public record databases of individuals and companies that have federal sanctions, violations, agency enforcement actions, or …
May 1, 2013
Debra Gail Hodges of Fayetteville filed a $10,000 claim with Liberty Mutual in the summer of 2011 and included a list of damaged …
By John Garrison There are two approaches to healthcare. Doctor Number One will treat the symptoms. A pill for this, an injection …
By Cowboy Don This is a simple investigative tool that can often confirm the approximate source location of a received mail, or …
May 1, 2013
By Leslie Kim In the July/August 1995 issue of The John Cooke Fraud Report, the front page article was entitled, “Inside the …
May 1, 2013
It can happen to anybody, even the guy who makes prisoners wear hot pink jumpsuits and eat peanut butter sandwiches. Arizona’s toughest …
Targeting Penske, Ryder and Budget rental companies, Berk County residents Jason Jones, Thomas Oliver and an (as yet) unnamed third participant. using …
May 1, 2013
Jason Dross of Celina, Ohio, was sentenced to nine months behind bars by the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas after an …
March 31, 2013
ARIZONA It might be “just” a fraud investigation — or – – it might be a murder investigation. The Department of Public …
March 18, 2013
Marcus and Beth Jenkins of Farmington Hills, Michigan, were doing “better” for quite a few years; now they are doing “worse.” Each …
Seeking candidates with a wide variety of experience = You will need to replace three people who just left. Problem solving skills …
March 17, 2013
Healthcare? Worker’s comp? Auto accidents? Slip and falls? Insurers survive and thrive because of their ability to sort the valid from …
There are hundreds of medical certifications, degrees, licenses, academies, and (unfortunately) all too many initial combos that combine to spell “I-G-O-T M-Y …
February 17, 2013
By Mindy Hsu Start in Middletown, New York. Police arrested two men attempting to fill a 180-pill prescription for 30 mg oxycodones. …
February 15, 2013
If you’ve been in the fraud fighting industry for nearly two decades you might recall when the Premiere Issue of The …
January 24, 2013
If Allstate has its way in a recent New Jersey Superior Court case, two East Orange Chiropractors are going to have to …
January 24, 2013
By Leslie Kim Harold Anderson has been a JCIFR subscriber since our very first issue hit the streets. President and CEO of …
At least six states are currently investigating American Family Benefits Group, Inc. (AFBG), marketers of a “too-good-to-be-true” opportunity. For a mere $99, …
January 24, 2013
Armen Aivazian, owner of the Sayat Nova restaurant in Glendale, California, has been arrested and charged with four counts of felony insurance …
January 24, 2013
By Michael Diegel The “Report on Workers’ Compensation Outreach Materials,” a study undertaken by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, reveals that there …
January 24, 2013
Angela Tucker Barnes was stabbed at least seven times in the back, throat and face. She was buried late in 1983. She …
January 24, 2013
CALIFORNIA Daniel Trent Bailey hung a shingle and went into business as an insurance broker. Problems arose, however, when motorists who purchased …
January 24, 2013
If the US were to send thousands of troops to Kosovo, but failed to equip them with the latest in weaponry and …
January 24, 2013
Cleveland, OH; Columbia, SC; Detroit, MI; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Las Vegas, NV; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; Memphis, TN; Miami, …
January 24, 2013
by L. Burke Files Check fraud and counterfeiting have become the crimes of the 1990s. The US. Justice Department estimates that $10 …
January 24, 2013
By Barry Zalma Some people act too smart for their own good. They want to commit a fraud but don’t know how. …
By Gary A. Turnberger, CFE, CIFI, SCL and Robin Duranik Those of us involved in the business of claim handling have often …
January 24, 2013
By Richard P. Boehning Insurance fraud is an annual $20-billion-dollar scourge that bedevils the U.S. property/casualty industry. Insurance fraud is not a …
First Arrest Made In New Bwc Out-Of-State Investigation – “Operation Interstate” Crosses State Lines
January 24, 2013
Operation Interstate is an ongoing five-month investigation taking place in 11 states and involving 18 Ohio Bureau of Work Comp fraud investigators …
By Ed McArdle Remember just a couple of years ago, when having your own voice mail was the leading-edge business office technology? …
January 24, 2013
Peter Caputo of San Francisco has a rather unique resume. Not only was he a body builder in the 1970s, one year …
January 24, 2013
By Thomas M. Bower Many lawyers in private practice, regardless of their years at the bar, often find themselves wondering what clients …
January 24, 2013
Remember Gary Miller of Encino? He was the attorney who was convicted of participating in a staged auto swoop/squat accident in which …
January 15, 2013
By Rob Painter, DABFE, ASE, CFL Every day, hundreds of allegedly stolen vehicles are found burned. And every day, some of the …
January 15, 2013
By L. Burke Files We hear so much about slumlords and how they steal property. Basically, they buy it cheap, collect rent …
January 15, 2013
By Robert P. Hartwig, Ph.D. The Insurance Information Institute estimates that frauds perpetrated against property/casualty insurers totaled about $21 billion in 1998. …
By Dennis Kass, Esq. INTRODUCTION Imagine a football game where your team never plays offense. For the entire game, you field only …
Joseph Lee Stinson must have liked the extra cash. While he was collecting workers’ compensation temporary total disability payments because of a …
January 15, 2013
So, what does USAA stand for? How about Understanding Scam Artist’s Attempt? Or Uncovers Scheming At Autoshop? In cooperation with the Pennsylvania …
January 15, 2013
Joe Trucker opened his mail and found an offer for commercial trucking insurance from Writer’s Direct Incorporated. The prices looked too good …
January 15, 2013
By Leslie Kim The initial contact was by e-mail: from a keyboard in Israel to my computer screen in Southern California in …
January 15, 2013
Thomas Muglicco of Donaldsonville has been booked on 25 counts of theft and 25 counts of misappropriation of insurance premiums. Authorities believe …
January 15, 2013
By Larry G. Henning, CFE and Edward J. Wilbraham, Esq. In general, the expanded use of video surveillance over the past …
January 15, 2013
A. The Insured’s Right to Privacy v. The Insurer’s Right To Investigate Courts have generally encouraged the use of surveillance as a …
January 15, 2013
California DOI fraud investigators arrested 11 people suspected of insurance fraud, concluding a two-year investigation. The chief suspect, a former Farmers Insurance …
January 15, 2013
Q: I think that fraud is being perpetrated on the fraud-fighting industry. I am constantly getting virus warnings on my computer e-mail …
January 15, 2013
An elderly man decided to purchase annuities for his four grown daughters and one niece. Because his hands shook so much, he …
January 15, 2013
If Fall River psychiatrist Kennard Kobrin were to lay down on his own couch and relate his problems, it would take a …
January 15, 2013
By Wayne R. Centanni, CLI What is a pretext? Simply put, it’s telling a lie in order to receive information from a …
January 14, 2013
By Barry Zalma There is a disturbing trend entering the law. Judges, jurors and administrative law courts, if convinced that a fraud …
January 14, 2013
Stuff Happens. This issue was all sewed up and ready to print, mere hours from our press appointment, and a request was …
A Federal District Court in Charlottesville has ruled that memos sent by a law firm to its experts are discoverable. The case, …
January 14, 2013
By Bob Gentile In looking at the basics of fire scene photography, the following question must be answered first, “Why photograph a …
January 13, 2013
In what could be termed as one of the largest insurance fraud sentences received by a single individual, Tony Lucius Francis has …
January 13, 2013
California Department of Insurance (DOI) fraud investigators arrested John Charles Haidich of Lafayette and charged him with 69 counts of workers’ compensation …
January 13, 2013
(Editor’s note: Well, we finally did it … convinced the Computer Search Guru of the Western States to write a column for …
By Warren Wellen I am an attorney who defends and investigates suspected fraudulent claims. I have had many opportunities to review transcripts …
Hundreds, no make that thousands, of people gave a vial of blood in exchange for $30. Upon delivery of each blood sample …
January 13, 2013
Just head on over to the Philippines. Proceed to Manila, then to a particularly dingy section of Recto Street. While you enjoy …
January 13, 2013
It took a joint effort by the Maryland Insurance Administration, the Maryland State Police and the Office of the Attorney general, but …
January 13, 2013
SANTA ANA – Fernando Franco Garcia denied any prior injuries when examined for a recent work-related back problem. Investigators learned he had …
January 13, 2013
Editor’s Note: In response to our recent JCIFR article on Viaticals, we received the following additional information from Gloria Wolk, a national …
January 13, 2013
The memorabilia market boosts the economy by an estimated $1 billion a year. Baseball trading cards, autographed baseballs, autographs of famous historical figures all …
January 13, 2013
So maybe it was an unusual situation to begin with, but the government’s handling of the matter was even more unusual. A …
January 13, 2013
This story probably fits into the category of Stupid Fraudster Tricks. It’s all about 28-year-old Tampa resident Elnetta Denise Brown we think. …
In February 1999, the California Department of Insurance issued a Cease & Desist order against Alejandro Corral of Downey and Travel Guard …
January 13, 2013
To those with airline mileage accounts, free flights are right around the corner if you keep up to date on free mile …
January 13, 2013
Jackson Memorial Hospital was hit by a plague. Something in the air was causing many of the workers to suffer from symptoms …
January 7, 2013
There may be no more Home Insurance Company policies being issued, but the fight against fraud continues on cases opened by their …
January 7, 2013
ARKANSAS Investigators determined that arson was the cause of a fire at the Kentucky Missionary Baptist Church in Saline County. They also …
January 7, 2013
Victor Cortez sold hundreds of auto insurance policies out of his Escondido, California, Auto America Insurance Agency (AAIA). But the buck stopped …
January 7, 2013
The New York Department of Insurance is now accepting electronic reports of insurance fraud from companies doing business in the state. Using …
January 7, 2013
After the lack of an Oops, I must have made a teeny-weeny billing error defense, Newton psychologist Lionel Lyon has been ordered …
January 7, 2013
After reading these clues… John Montalbano (Darn smart investigator for GEICO) will be staying at the Wyndham Palace (the site hotel for …
January 7, 2013
It would include: * 584 Asians * 124 Africans * 95 Eastern and Western Europeans * 84 Latin Americans * 55 former …
January 7, 2013
Under ordinary circumstances, we’d give you the questions and withhold the answers. But this puzzle is just too darn HARD if we …
January 6, 2013
Dear Sherry Q: I’m working on a bad-smelling auto file where our trucker claimant has drivers licenses in at least three states. …
January 6, 2013
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, yes, I’m the great pretender. Pretending that you’re still around…… What’s around? Why a pretty nifty …
By Jon E. Crosby, CFE, CIFI, FCLS An integral part of the investigator’s or claims adjuster’s role involves the taking of recorded …
January 6, 2013
Goshawk Syndicate (GS), a London-based insurance underwriter, is screaming FOUL. Basing their agreement to insure the big money prizes given out on …
January 6, 2013
Gilroy, California, is the Garlic Capital of the World … which has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Gabriela Gomez …
January 6, 2013
A burglar broke into a New York eatery in the middle of the night. He treated himself to expensive wine and the …
January 6, 2013
Harry J. O’Connor, a claimant in multiple Tiffany Lamp property claims over the past several years (no comment!), tried another type of …
Anne Marie Fangonilo of Redwood City, California, was employed as a claims adjuster for the California State Automobile Association. Her job included …
January 5, 2013
By George Romain, Esq. Insurance company claim adjusters beware: Daubert is about to call on you. A recent US Supreme Court ruling …
You know the feeling. Like a drug addict craving his next fix, it creeps up. You’d do ANYTHING for a chocolate bar. …
January 5, 2013
Martha Rosa Olivera of Ceres, California, was advised by the DEA that her vehicle was being seized as a result of a …
By Barry Zalma, of course The Hungarian owned and operated a Board and Care facility for the aged in Carson City, Nevada. …
January 5, 2013
There’s no slowing down in the state of Ohio for WC convictions. A Franklin County grand jury has indicted 12 people for …
January 5, 2013
While the California Holocause Insurance Settlement Alliance (CHISA) has not resorted to the word fraud, the allegations in this ongoing saga are …
January 5, 2013
The Not Smart Pilot In August of 1998, Paul Franklin Ostrove of Hermosa Beach, California, ran out of gas. Unfortunately for Ostrove …
January 5, 2013
This issue was hot enough two years ago for the John Cooke Insurance Fraud Report to run a front page story. At …
January 5, 2013
Credit Card Fraud Drops – The 1999 loss statistics (USA) are in and the picture is promising. Visa reported a record low …
January 5, 2013
At this point, the astute claim rep was suspicious. He also received a call from the Senior U.S. Forest Ranger who was …
January 5, 2013
By Peter Muldavin Establishing the Need to Prove Past Weather Conditions. Picture the following situation. An insurance carrier has insured the defendant …
By Bill Lundy Something is happening in the insurance fraud world. I hunch it is not necessarily by design that it is …
January 5, 2013
The year was 1974. A large midwestern MGA, operating under retro authority as a full insurance company, ran into financial problems due …
January 5, 2013
By Leslie Kim It’s inescapable. No place or person holds immunity. Succinctly stated, fraud happens. Even the Editor of the John Cooke …
“Competitive Salary” – We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors. “Join Our Fast Paced Company” – We have no time …
By Donald A. Kohtz Most investigators love the hands-on aspect of investigations and the challenge of catching the fraudster. However, some investigators …
January 5, 2013
By John Wood Freedom of Information Center http://www.missouri.edu/~foiwww/index.html A good starting point for those looking into “freedom of information” (FOI) matters via …
January 5, 2013
By George Michael Newman DNA. Blood Spatter. CD ROMs and the Internet: the last decade has generated revolution after revolution in methods …
By Robert von Esch III, Esq. With the expanding use of experts and their hefty fees, creative alternatives should be considered to …
January 5, 2013
By Rob Painter The following story is fictitious. It is, however, based on a true story – one which covers a period …
January 5, 2013
Having trouble with your sales presentations? Want to dazzle your friends at parties? Try working the following facts into the conversation: * …
January 5, 2013
“Daddy, there’s smoke coming out of the garage door…” And so began the saga of how the Editor of an insurance fraud …
January 5, 2013
R1#6%6*%@@MB&K!6*64$2S The preceding is a picture of my brain as I write this issue’s Editor column. This column is always the last …
January 5, 2013
Some things just don’t make much sense. On February 1, 1997, a young family of three was burned alive in a fiery …
January 5, 2013
If you look at the upper right hand corner of this issue’s cover, you’ll see it’s Volume 5 and Issue 1. That …
January 5, 2013
Comedian Allan Ray told a “joke.” He said, “Allstate recently sued 45 doctors, alleging fraud. The physicians are accused of stealing funds …
January 5, 2013
Ten years ago, no one had heard of a Viatical. The concept had not yet been born. People who had cancer just …
Wayne Durfey, an unlicensed contractor from Santa Ana, California, was arrested as a result of an undercover investigation conducted jointly by the …
And we quote (with permission, of course, from Editor Extrordinaire Trevor Jones): Now that the tobacco companies have crumbled in the face …
January 5, 2013
The words “insane” and “Insanity” are not recognized medical terms; they are, however, recognized legal terms. The initials “B.C.” (Before Christ) are …
January 5, 2013
Four men have been charged with auto insurance fraud after their alleged plans went sour. On June 17, 1998, Guillermo Sanchez and …
January 5, 2013
Robert Joseph Benge, Joseph Benge, Joseph Benges, Joseph Bengen, Robert Joseph and Jimmy Flippen – who just happen to be one individual …
January 5, 2013
Eckerd, a 1,700-store chain based out of Largo, Florida, and owned by J.C. Penney Co., denies the charges. Officials believe that Eckerd’s …
January 5, 2013
Click on http://www.allianceai.org and tune into a wealth of information provided by the Alliance of American Insurers. Move over tohttp://www.insurancefraud.org and find …
January 5, 2013
How may we investigate? Let us count thy governmental and law enforcement ways. In alphabetical order, here’s a list of the ones …
January 5, 2013
When Delta Dental Plan noticed several unusual billings coming from Beverly Hills DDS Julie Valentine, investigators decided to root out the problem. …
January 5, 2013
On August 23, 1996, Glendale businessman Pierre Lebon Hoffman called 911 for help. He said that he came downstairs in the morning …
January 5, 2013
By Leslie Kim WARSAW POLAND, OCTOBER 2, 1997: We are very, very far from home. It is evident everywhere; and once again, …
January 5, 2013
Thinking of expanding your area of business? Considering going international with your services? Looking toward far off places, with dollar signs dancing …
January 5, 2013
In the summer of 1997, after authorities became weary of the proliferation of organized auto theft rings in south Florida, a multi-agency …
Over 700 fraud fighters gathered recently at the Burbank Hilton to hear the annual “State of the NICB” message. Here are some …
January 3, 2013
That’s all they bothered to go after: Porsches, Jeep Wranglers, Mercedes, etc. A routine business inspection at a Santa Ana, California, …
January 3, 2013
Numerous complaints were received from private insurance carriers by the San Diego Division of the FBI, as well as other FBI offices, …
Alan D. Bersin, United States Attorney, and William D. Gore, Special Agent in Charge, San Diego Division of the Federal Bureau of …
January 3, 2013
Rice, Carlos Jose Emanuel Rice that is, was the alleged capper in an auto fraud ring that was recently smashed by the …
January 3, 2013
By Barry Zalma The insured had no respect for his insurance company. He expected them to pay any claim he presented. He …
January 3, 2013
“You’re in Good Hands When You Help Out Your Good Neighbor” ought to be the motto for the recent team effort …
January 3, 2013
It was a paper accident scam that bilked insurance companies out of more than $2 million. And it worked for a while. …
January 3, 2013
Two recent British Columbia Supreme Court rulings favored the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) in a big bucks way. In the …
January 3, 2013
Staging automobile accidents and filing false medical claims got Gabriel and Amihan Gonzalez tickets to prison and some hefty fines. After pleading …
January 3, 2013
Thomas Passmore saw the number 666 on his right hand so he sawed it off. Upon seeing the number, Passmore recalled the …
January 3, 2013
The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimated that $877 million per annum went to fraudsters. In response to the existing problem, and …
January 3, 2013
By Leslie Kim Lagos, Nigeria. Even the names of the city and country bring forth the vision of a far-away, alien …
California’s legislative answer to the staged accident dilemma may be contained in a newly introduced bill, SB 334. A brief summary of …
January 3, 2013
By Michael Z. Lighthouse For special investigative personnel charged with educating claims employees, a lesson in back injuries is a good idea. …
January 3, 2013
Auto theft is the most costly property crime in the nation. Los Angeles County residents have 89,000 vehicles stolen each year, valued …
January 3, 2013
By Susan E. Clarke Staff Writer In a rather unique scam, criminals are purchasing life policies on beggars, peasants and prostitutes and …
January 3, 2013
Attention! If your prosecution efforts involved an “expert witness” by the name of Howard Bruce Ollick, you may have a slight problem. …
The recent conviction of Michael Kerr, owner of Kerr Chiropractic Center in Toledo, has proven to be one of the largest provider …
January 3, 2013
Their paths crossed for the first time about eight years ago. Bennie Roberts was an illiterate, retired quarry worker, who owned a …
January 3, 2013
Bobbi Jo Womack was just 18 when she died. The young woman, who had both physical and mental disabilities, was living with …
January 3, 2013
Don Ray’s Privacy Tip Don’t sue anyone. Remote voice mail. Consider not voting. Don’t enter contests. Get married overseas. Postal services PO …
About three years ago, check counterfeiting began emanating from the Garden Grove, California, area. This location was home to “Little Saigon,” the …
During 1997, Washington is averaging about 10 bank robberies per week, most occurring in the Seattle area. Only California, Florida, New York …
Theresa Watkins has been sentenced to nine years in prison following convictions on a dozen years’ worth of fraud. Watkins was involved …
January 3, 2013
By Ira T. Deutsch During the first week of March 1997, my company was exhibiting at the California Self Insurers Association convention …
January 3, 2013
By Michael Bush House Bill 1620 literally flew through the Washington Legislature, passing unanimously before heading to the Senate with the same …
January 3, 2013
By Dorothy Montague Do you travel a lot? Or perhaps you are planning to open a small business and don’t want to …
January 3, 2013
By Byron Bales and Diane Kellner When it comes to reports of American citizens who have died abroad, the answer to the …
January 3, 2013
By Daniel R. Brownlee Although there are more than a dozen independent states lying along the eastern coastal area of the African …
January 3, 2013
Two Worcester attorneys, partners in one of Massachusetts largest workers’ compensation law firms, were recently indicted along with five of their clients …
January 3, 2013
In May of 1991, Thongkam Somsanuk purchased a $500,000 life insurance policy from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company office in Alexandria, …
January 3, 2013
By Byron Bales China is rapidly becoming more accessible to outsiders. Just a few years ago, those who wanted to visit China, …
This issue’s “nasty” goes to Smart Medical Alert Systems (SMAS) of Pompano Beach, Florida. After more than 90 complaints, the attorney generally …
By Robert Scott Sr. An aspiring Hollywood Starlet suddenly files a sexual harassment suit against a producer, claiming to have been the …
January 3, 2013
The Pelonomi Hospital is located in Free State, South Africa. A major mystery had everyone abuzz. Every single Friday morning, for …
The Southeast Regional Sting Project (SRSP) was an 11 month long multi-agency undercover task force aimed at penetrating the stolen property network …
Okay, we confess. The following story really has absolutely nothing to do with insurance but it’s just one of those tidbits that’s …
January 3, 2013
The Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration and the National Insurance Crime Bureau have announced that a Prince George’s …
January 3, 2013
Following a three-year joint undercover investigation by the California Insurance Fraud Department and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, five members …
January 3, 2013
By Barbara Clark Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States: on the average, one person dies by …
In Oakland Park (Broward County), owners of West Dixie Enterprises were arrested stemming from an investigation that discovered nearly $10,000 in …
By D. J. Osborne “Can you imagine making a year’s income in a month’s time? Would you like to know how to …
January 3, 2013
By Joan E. Feldman The growing use of electronic mail and other electronic evidence in litigation is having a profound effect …
January 3, 2013
Combining a PC and a video camera, video conferencing will give the insurance adjuster – and the claimant – real-time, face-to-face access …
By Dan King Differing needs in claims investigations may cause a dilemma for fraud units. While the insurer generally prefers that all …
January 3, 2013
Lisa Carver, a young blind woman, thought she had found the man of her dreams. He was a young retired dentist; he …
January 3, 2013
The Los Angeles Twin Towers Jail is supplying lodging to Mei-Ling Huang, described by some of her victims as the “house guest …
January 3, 2013
By Judy Anderson, J. D. I work in an applicant/plaintiff medical clinic. Like many people on this side, we are legitimate. Unfortunately, …
January 3, 2013
Harry Brainless (the names have been changed to protect the not so innocent) purchased a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee with the …
The statistics are alarming. Car theft cost $8 billion nationally last year. Almost two million vehicles are stolen each year in …
January 3, 2013
A Tarrant County grand jury has indicted Donald Ray Carlen of Bedford and his father, James Glendale Carlen of Fort Worth. The …
By Michael McLarney John Williams was stopped at a traffic light in his employer’s delivery van. He was looking to his left, …
January 3, 2013
HE: David Carter, age 49; former Atlanta restaurateur, dogged by the federal government for many years; moved to Moscow just prior to …
January 3, 2013
Richard “Rick” Adams either had some stunning connections or a lively imagination. His purported lies included the one about his grandfather being …
January 2, 2013
When investigators compared the accounts to locate the point of compromise (POC), they found that each card in question had been used …
Andrew S. Pitts, according to many, had it all. After graduating from DePaul University Law School in Chicago, Pitt worked as …
January 2, 2013
Tully Plesser is heading off to serve a federal prison sentence. He also has the distinct honor (?) of holding a …
First there was the Better Life Club of America, Inc. (BLC). All one had to do was invest some money (usually from …
January 2, 2013
(The following article is reprinted from FRAUD FOCUS, the publication of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud) A privacy bill introduced by Senator …
January 2, 2013
Big lenders are experiencing success with a new program that links them up with the Internal Revenue Service for the purpose of …
January 2, 2013
It’s a fascinating case. There’s a missing person (assumed dead, but no body has ever been located); a rogue suspect who …
January 2, 2013
It’s clearly a case of he says, he says. Residents of Charlotte are divided as to what really transpired on January 1,1996. …
January 2, 2013
Editor’s Note: These gems have been making the fax machine rounds for years. We print them here for your amusement… “A pedestrian …
January 2, 2013
By Larry Burke What follows is a frightening story; what makes it truly frightening is that it really happened. On a recent …
January 2, 2013
By Howard Goldblatt Since it’s that time of year, when we start thinking of summer and the end of school, we thought …
January 2, 2013
From Florida – Advisory of Bank Fraud Against Senior Citizens. The Orlando Police Department and Orange County Sheriff’s Office are beginning to …
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION X-FILE BACKUP: SPACE CULTISTS LOSE GRIP The underwriter that insured the 39 Heaven’s Gate cultists who committed suicide last …
By Dr. Alexander Gorkin Editor’s Note: I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Gorkin when I traveled to Moscow in late 1995. …
Thirteen people were indicted by a federal grand jury for operating bogus medical clinics to treat bogus injuries from bogus automobile accidents. …
According to a survey done by the International Financial Law Review and reported in London’s Guardian, lawyers in London are the highest …
January 2, 2013
Allen Leslie Brinkley of West Palm Beach told an undercover Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agent that he (Brinkley) had been …
As rings go, this was a giant. An estimated 1,000 people participated more than one percent of the city’s adult residents. A …
January 2, 2013
On a recent trip to “Nawlins” (as anybody who knows anything pronounces it), I had the opportunity to sit down face-to-face with …
January 2, 2013
Recently released research results and statistics confirm that credit card fraud knows no geographic boundaries. The European Union (EU) has a massive …
January 2, 2013
Physicians are frequently placed on a social pedestal by most segments of society. As patients, we are at our most vulnerable when …
January 2, 2013
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners recently circulated the 1996 Report to the Nation on Occupational Fraud and Abuse, the largest privately …
January 2, 2013
By L. Burke Files So often we view those people with offshore accounts as “suspicious” by definition. But any good investigator must …
January 2, 2013
Authorities believe that Jerome King Talley’s most recent scam started at a Forest Park High School meeting when attendees were asked to …
January 2, 2013
If you’re reading this in Kansas and you’ve got an opening for a trainee, might we suggest you track down the guy …
January 2, 2013
The American Bankers Association is circulating information on the new $100 notes issued in March 1996. Printed flyers suggest looking for the …
January 1, 2013
The purpose of this article is to familiarize the reader with the common security features of travelers checks, simple methods of detecting …
January 1, 2013
By Michael Kessler You’re in an enormous warehouse, filled with thousands of garments bearing the names of all the top designers: …
By Trevor Jones Sometimes, more goes missing than can be believed. Lloyd’s was hit with a spate of coffee related claims from …
January 1, 2013
According to a survey by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), British fraud levels fell for the fourth year running in 1996. …
January 1, 2013
By G. Andrew Nagle History tends to repeat itself in the fraud business, sometimes tragically. On June 17, 1992, in the midst …
January 1, 2013
Excerpts from a recent report from California Attorney General Dan Lundgren: Russian organized crime has grown rapidly over the last five years, …
January 1, 2013
Richard Lee Hamrick chose an odd head-covering to use while robbing a Seattle area Safeway Supermarket … a pair of bikini …
Philadelphia District Attorney, Lynne Abraham, United States Attorney, Michael Stiles and Postal Inspector In Charge, Bruce Chambers, announced the return of a …
January 1, 2013
MedLaw is the code name for a statewide investigation, initiated by Sacramento based agents of the FBI, the IRS and the California …
January 1, 2013
Tampa police are searching for a pair of identity-stealing crooks who have been on quite a shopping spree lately. Their MO is …
January 1, 2013
Five fraudsters had a pretty unique scam operating out of the St. Tammany Parish area. They would hold phony job fairs – …
January 1, 2013
The United States. Paradise. Land of opportunity. A new life for Russian immigrants lucky enough to come here. Alexander Shindman, 30, …
January 1, 2013
By Susan E. Clarke The first insight into this issue’s Man Behind The Mystique comes from the telephone. When I call him, …
By James “Rick” Youngblood CFE Corporations throughout the world are faced with the problem of dealing with ethical violations by those in …
By Charles Pfeister With the explosion of data sources available on the Internet, most investigators are aware of the great potential of …
December 31, 2012
Editor’s note: According to the American Heritage Dictionary, “gypsy” is defined as “One inclined to a nomadic way of life.” In the …
December 31, 2012
By Barry Zalma This One Isn’t Fiction Because No One Would Believe It My call, in the March 3, 1997, edition …
December 31, 2012
Here is a condensed guide to drivers licenses in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. We’d like to thank the …
Expired licenses. Do not accept an expired license as identification. Uneven surfaces, especially by the picture or the birthdate. This may indicate …
December 31, 2012
When the Federal Trade Commission convened a meeting of industry, consumer groups and government regulators to address the problem of identity fraud, …
December 31, 2012
Twelve years and $1.1 billion later, a former trader for Daiwa bank is convinced he has finally done the right thing. “I …
December 31, 2012
The immigration services business was a darn good front. The operators of the business were able to glean employment information from their …
December 31, 2012
By Barry Zalma His parents escaped the pogroms of Eastern Europe and moved to Syria in the early 1930s. Through hard work …
December 31, 2012
Imagine how you would feel if you found out someone else was using your identity. Now imagine how you would feel …
December 31, 2012
In a crackdown against a new breed of investment scams, through both tele-marketers and the internet, Canadian and US authorities are …
December 31, 2012
A jury in federal district court in Miami, Florida, returned a verdict of $2,930,458 in favor of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. The …
December 31, 2012
On the ladder of international organized crime, drug trafficking ranks number one. In second place, and sneaking up fast, is auto theft. …
Michael Kelleher, formerly an adjuster with Chubb & Son Federal Insurance Company in Long Island, New York, may have moved a few …
December 31, 2012
From Jim Cronin of GEICO: A great question to ask an insured in questionable property claims: “Have any of the documents you …
December 31, 2012
Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year. On the second day the knee …
December 31, 2012
By Barry Zalma Reprinted with Permission The claimant wore thick lens plastic eyeglasses. He literally fell into a life of fraud. …
December 31, 2012
The date was January 17, 1994, and the place was Van Nuys, California. Suddenly the earth began to shake and rumble. Some …
December 31, 2012
Early in the 90’s, back in my corporate America days, some home office AVP decided that our company needed a “community presence.” …
December 31, 2012
We’ve said it before; we’ll say it again. Nobody is immune when it comes to financial shenanigans. Most unfortunate, however, is the …
December 31, 2012
Q: Did you not attempt to sharpen any image? A: Yes no. Did I not attempt? Q: Did you attempt? A: Yes, …
December 31, 2012
By Byron Bales China is rapidly becoming more accessible to outsiders. Just a few years ago, those who wanted to visit China …
December 31, 2012
The state of Florida spends an estimated $6.7 billion annually to provide health care to 1.6 million people on welfare or …
December 31, 2012
By Tim Bullock It’s that time of year. The approach of winter weather and the yearend holidays coincides with what has become …
December 31, 2012
By Robert K. Cofod At a recent BAI conference on fraud prevention, a senior representative from a megabank related that his bank’s …
December 31, 2012
It’s a bittersweet victory when I suddenly become cognizant of a great truth that’s been right in front of my nose. On …
December 31, 2012
I remember the scam well. Everyone was talking about it. “Did you hear about the guy who programmed the bank’s computer to …
December 31, 2012
The story reads like so many others throughout the USA: authorities extensively investigated a suspicious situation. It began with an automobile body …
December 31, 2012
No guarantees on the validity of the following. It’s one of those anonymous fax things and we’re printing it for entertainment value …
December 31, 2012
UPS believed they had a big, big problem. Individuals were receiving packages with racial slurs and epithets. Inside some of the packages …
December 31, 2012
By Richard Stutheit Ten percent of all claims are said to be fraudulent in nature. Recent studies have put the level of …
December 31, 2012
Florida resident Rosemary Doherty had an $8,000 limit on her credit card. One of the last purchases charged to the card was …
December 31, 2012
By Michael Diegel It’s been gratifying to see that a number of states have moved quickly on an anti-fraud agenda during the …
On to 1997 … NAIC Planning Busy Year The anti-fraud committee of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners is moving forward on …
December 31, 2012
Late last year, four San Mateo Sheriff’s Deputies met with area SIU representatives and threw four names out in front of them. …
December 31, 2012
Now that we’ve got your attention… Eight members of an insurance fraud ring were arrested for their alleged involvement in surgically stripping …
RIVERSIDE Investigators from the California DOI Fraud Division and the Riverside DA’s office arrested 23 medical professionals and office personnel and raided …
December 31, 2012
Membership in the Oregon-Idaho AAA Auto Club numbers 570,000. The club provides emergency road service, travel information and a traveler’s check banking …
December 31, 2012
By Anthony Zammuto When selecting a surveillance or special investigation vendor, the decision maker will typically speak with a sales representative, look …
December 31, 2012
By L. Burke Files Check fraud and counterfeiting have become the crimes of the 1990s. The US Justice Department estimates that $10 …
December 31, 2012
Editor’s Note: Here’s an interesting tidbit gleaned from the Smith & Brink Report (Free to the fraud fighting industry contact Dan Wood …
December 31, 2012
After almost ten years of no luck at catching up to fugitive David Brian Williams, the FBI took an unusual step and …
December 31, 2012
The Colorado governor has signed a bill that should serve as an example to other states around the country. Auto body …
December 31, 2012
Perhaps no one is safe any longer. In a scheme that a US District judge called bizarre and incredible, Christians from Maine …
By Anne Silver Conway, M.S., M.A. Handwriting examination can be a valuable tool in the investigation of fraud; however, the field of …
December 31, 2012
By Howard Goldblatt The 1997 legislative season is shaping up as the most active ever in terms of initiatives affecting insurance fraud …
December 31, 2012
In an effort to thwart the perpetration of fraud in advances and credit applications, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has …
At least $2 million in credit card proceeds is believed to have been funneled out of the US, and one of …
December 31, 2012
It wasn’t quite the Tommyknockers, but too close for comfort to the laid back town of Clearwater. James Hootman was an insurance …
December 31, 2012
By Shirley Eileen Fitzgerald, RN Consider the case of Mr. Myers, a 45-year-old, white, male executive, hospitalized following an important business lunch …
December 31, 2012
In one of the largest crackdowns on insurance fraud in the state’s history, Florida insurance fraud investigators went looking for 63 suspects …
December 31, 2012
By Barry Zalma The story that follows is based on fact. The names, places and descriptions have been changed to protect the …
December 31, 2012
It was a durable medical equipment (DME) scam with a slight twist in the recipe. Two of the main ingredients were a …
December 31, 2012
By: Robert A. Von Esch, Esq. The Examination Under Oath (E.U.O) is a proactive and cost-effective tool to defeat false, fraudulent and …
December 31, 2012
Some readers have recently been surprised to hear our telephones answered “Alikim Media.” A few have even hung up, thinking they reached …
December 31, 2012
John Cooke, the little scrap(per) who came rushing headlong into the insurance fraud fighting world in May 1994, is celebrating his second …
December 31, 2012
I sit at a large, brown, wooden desk with a large gouge in one of the drawers. The desk cost $40.00 and …
December 31, 2012
A special thanks to those of you who choose to go both ways: Both ways that is when it comes to subscribing …
December 31, 2012
So there I was, Madame Editor, sitting at my desk, minding my own business, not messing with anybody. And there she was, …
December 31, 2012
by John H. Wood Switchboard (URL: http://www2.switchboard.com/), World Yellow Pages NETwork (URL: http://wyp.net/) and BigBook (URL:http://www.bigbook.com/) are free nationwide residential and business …
December 31, 2012
The California Department of Insurance (DOI) has announced that it will soon begin conducting performance audits of all special investigation units (SIUs). …
December 31, 2012
By Dennis B. Kass The endless hours of charting, linking and performing computer searches have finally paid off. After months of investigation, …
December 30, 2012
Orange County District Attorney Michael R. Capizzi announced that a Garden Grove physician has been convicted of insurance fraud and conspiracy to …
By Russell B. Merlette Insurance companies tend to be very departmentalized. It is often the case that the claims handlers and personnel …
December 30, 2012
Cranston, Rhode Island, police officer Kevin Grant and Tara Devoren, his former girlfriend, tell completely different stories of events that transpired beginning …
December 30, 2012
Already the fastest growing part of the Medicaid-funded health care system, state and federal outlays in the home health industry have ballooned …
December 30, 2012
As a result of limited administrative resources, most insurers rely upon the basic integrity of the provider population, paying claims prior to …
December 30, 2012
While the vast majority of health care providers are honest, health care is a big business; and big business without regulatory and …
December 30, 2012
California installed some get-tough-on-fraud laws and one that took effect in 1992 just paid off. Several insurance companies are cheering the Superior …
December 30, 2012
When hiring translators for recorded statements, depositions or other legal proceedings, take the time to thoroughly check the credentials of the individual …
December 30, 2012
By Ira T. Deutsch During the first week of March 1997, my company was exhibiting at the California Self Insurers Association convention …
December 30, 2012
Editor’s Note: Every investigator has a favorite story; something that happened in the course of an investigation that was unexpected, enlightening, entertaining …
Americans are generally more willing to see people prosecuted for insurance fraud than they were five years ago, though wide gaps still …
December 30, 2012
In this issue, beginning on page 7, you’ll find a discussion on the “proper” way to run an SIU. Because we believe …
December 30, 2012
Live in Texas? Wanna be a risk manager? An insurance agent? An adjuster? A title company escrow officer? A life insurance counselor? …
December 30, 2012
From the Editor – In the November/December issue, we ran the story of The Nine-Fingered Dentist. It concerned a multi-million dollar insurance …
December 30, 2012
Physical Therapy: Terms and Definitions Accepted Standard of Practice The following documentation requirements constitute the accepted standard of practice in providing physical …
December 30, 2012
By Barry Zalma The insured grew up with his wealthy parents on the shores of San Francisco Bay in Marin County. He …
December 30, 2012
Just when we finally learned to spell his name, Al Toczydlowski (former chief of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Insurance Fraud Unit (PDAIFU)) …
December 30, 2012
Once upon a time there was a grown man named Teddy. The mechanic at the Hometown Auto Repair Shop gave Teddy some …
December 30, 2012
Senitila Taylor was described by one attorney as “death waiting to happen.” Although only 22 years old, she suffered from a heart …
December 30, 2012
The scam smelled an awful lot like one from California. Picking out a victim in a late-model car, getting into position just …
December 30, 2012
Perhaps his yearly salary for teaching emotionally disturbed children just wasn’t enough? Maybe he simply grew tired of his 1991 Chevy Blazer? …
December 30, 2012
By Brian C. Jayne Three weeks ago Joe Smyth submitted a theft claim for his 1990 Camaro and he is anxiously waiting …
December 30, 2012
The federal government has awarded the prestigious “Department of Health and Human Services’ Award” to one of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s …
December 30, 2012
Okay, what do the following people have in common? Barry Zalma, JCIFR columnist, attorney, author; Jerry Treadway, Acting Bureau Chief of the …
December 30, 2012
A Tarrant County grand jury has indicted Donald Ray Carlen of Bedford and his father, James Glendale Carlen of Fort Worth. The …
December 30, 2012
CALIFORNIA Timothy Chee of San Francisco and Tommy Ho Chi Mak of Daly City figured out how to make a tasty income: …
A Nashville man, Mark Jones, opened an account at NationsBank of Hendersonville with a $50 cash deposit. As is usually the case …
December 30, 2012
No question about it. This issue’s top SFT award just has to go to Dr. Oludare Wilson. Nobody else could possibly even …
December 30, 2012
ARKANSAS An attorney is going Whitewater rafting – straight down the river to prison. Eugene Fitzhugh pleaded guilty to charges of trying …
December 30, 2012
The number of arrests suspects charged by the District Attorney’s Insurance Fraud Unit for 1997 has already surpassed 200. Included in the …
December 30, 2012
By Judy Anderson, J.D. I work in an applicant/plaintiff medical clinic. Like many people on this side, we are legitimate. Unfortunately, we …
December 30, 2012
Bobbi Jo Womack was just 18 when she died. The young woman, who had both physical and mental disabilities, was living with …
By Richard Stutheit Ten percent of all claims are said to be fraudulent in nature. Recent studies have put the level of …
December 30, 2012
It’s a bittersweet victory when I suddenly become cognizant of a great truth that’s been right in front of my nose. On …
December 30, 2012
This issue marks the end of our third full year of publishing The John Cooke Insurance Fraud Report. To those of you …
December 30, 2012
Life—and business—is all about learning. And we in the fraud-fighting industry are privy to a never-ending flow of lessons. I have a …
December 30, 2012
Alikim Media began publication of The John Cooke Financial Fraud Report in August 1996. Similar in format to The John Cooke Insurance …
December 30, 2012
By Jim Cronin Buying software to aid in investigations is analogous to going to the local supermarket to buy a quart of …
December 30, 2012
Introduction Fraud investigation can be difficult, challenging and time consuming. Those engaged in fraud obviously try to hide it, and the investigator …
December 30, 2012
No question about it. This issue’s SFT column recognition belongs to William Angus Barter of Oregon. Police cited Barter for forgery in …
December 30, 2012
No question about it. This issue’s SFT column recognition belongs to William Angus Barter of Oregon. Police cited Barter for forgery in …
December 30, 2012
An amorous burglar dialed himself into the hands of the police while robbing a Belgian soccer club. Apparently, he used the club’s …
December 30, 2012
A jury in federal district court in Miami, Florida, returned a verdict of $2,930,458 in favor of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. The …
December 30, 2012
The immigration services business was a darn good front. The operators of the business were able to glean employment information from their …
December 30, 2012
During a recent trip to London, we (Associate Editor Susan Clarke and myself) ate at many different restaurants. On the last evening …
December 30, 2012
It is not clear when banana peels were first transformed from fruit casings, or the occasional prankster’s prop, into instruments of a …
December 30, 2012
Sacramento – At least 36 people have been arrested and more are sought after a two-year investigation into what Department of Insurance …
December 30, 2012
Bad checks, also known as NSF checks, bounced checks, rubber checks, etc., can be a big problem for any credit department. There …
December 30, 2012
Money lost by auto insurers is estimated in the $2 million range. But now, thanks to the work of the Operation Smash …
December 30, 2012
When the swindled clients began looking for their money, the pathway was framed with lies, deceit and dead-ends. Donald Marquis Bickerstaff, age …
December 30, 2012
By Jay Langford Auto accidents are the house specialty in many Vietnamese American law offices. Most insurance companies with auto policies have …
December 30, 2012
San Antonio based USAA and Longwood insurance adjuster, Fleet Financial Corporation, are settling a lawsuit in which USAA has alleged Fleet committed …
December 30, 2012
EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW BUT WERE TOO BUSY TO ASK – Bunco Schemes There are almost as many Bunco Scheme …
December 30, 2012
It sounds just like the plot of a Hollywood movie. A gang of crooks, responsible for the theft of more than 280 …
December 30, 2012
She sobbed loudly and begged the judge for leniency. She spoke, from her wheelchair, about the infant son waiting for her …
December 30, 2012
When the new tenants arrived with a truck full of furniture and a receipt for the first month’s rent on the …
By Bill Kizorek and Scott Finger You, the witness, are the centerpiece. All are gathered to hear your story so that facts …
December 30, 2012
With a stated objective of “making MasterCard the safest way to pay,” the credit card company recently announced it would be …
December 30, 2012
This November, police in Brea, California, really had something to be thankful for. At 7:00 AM on the day before Thanksgiving, …
December 30, 2012
It is a problem that has reached global proportions. A 1996 Lexus is not safe; a 1973 Pinto is not safe. And …
December 30, 2012
According to the petition of Missouri resident Joyce Lehr, who is suing the county because she fell in an icy, unplowed …
December 30, 2012
Between May and October, approximately 100 admission forms were stolen from two San Francisco area medical centers. Summit Medical Center in Oakland …
December 30, 2012
In its fifth year of operation, Fraudnet scored another win in the war against fraud. California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund, the state’s …
December 30, 2012
By Linden Management I have been traveling to Nigeria regularly since 1989 and have experienced many unusual scenarios. In May 1994 …
Investigators with online capabilities can go alias hunting, which often leads them to uncover related but otherwise undetected injury claims. An …
The Texas Bankers Association (TBA) has released some GOOD news for a change. Since the start of a program requiring fingerprints …
December 30, 2012
One of the problems encountered when dealing with currencies from other countries is understanding the differences between these currencies. Those intent on …
December 30, 2012
Leonard L. Cole, a Tampa resident, had a little bit of surgery that enabled him to change his name to LaTarsha …
Gregory Gene Shell, operator of Panterra Numismatics in Dallas, is heading toward a Texas federal pokey. He faces a maximum term of …
The Florida Board of Medicine has been cracking down on doctors recently. Dr. Taj Pal Singh Jowhal has had his medical licensed …
By James “Rick” Youngblood, CFE In today’s security intensive business environment, organizations must rely on a variety of security devices to protect …
December 30, 2012
By Leroy Cook Investigators in the United States vary greatly from one another in their backgrounds, competency, size of business and, yes, …
December 30, 2012
The State of New Jersey, under fire by The Chiropractic Alliance of New Jersey, recently agreed to settlement of a federal …
December 30, 2012
Unemployment insurance is big business in Canada — $13.5 billion per year to be exact. And the system, according to those in …
December 30, 2012
Combining the talents of investigators from the California Department of Insurance, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the National Insurance Crime …
December 30, 2012
He had feelers out everywhere. He had deals, big deals, cooking. He was charming, witty, smart, personable and told a great …
December 30, 2012
By Bradley Sanders Several years ago, a group of Colorado business owners developed an advertising and promotion program known as “Always Buy …
December 30, 2012
REPRINT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENT ADVICE NEWSLETTER The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners recently circulated the 1996 Report to the Nation on …
December 30, 2012
After two Florida insurance executives from Aanco Underwriters were found guilty, it came time to pass sentencing. The men had been charged …
December 30, 2012
By Barry Zalma Aunt Susie had been in the restaurant business all her life. She worked for chains like Denny’s and Stuckey’s. …
December 30, 2012
By Susan E. Clarke Staff Writer The following letter came addressed to me. Not to occupant or resident, but directly to me, …
December 30, 2012
By profession, he was a company savior, a guy who specialized in taking over ailing companies and performing miraculous turn-arounds. He’d …
December 30, 2012
In 1994 Congress requested a Fed survey on the prevalence of check fraud. The results of the ensuing survey were released in …
December 30, 2012
San Diego County, a place where hundreds of people have been victimized by fraudulent real estate transactions, is taking some action to …
December 30, 2012
It’s bad enough when your credit card is stolen; but what do you do when the thief steals even more? What can …
December 30, 2012
Public adjusters, like personal injury lawyers, work on a contingency fee. For a percentage of the recovery, they present claims on …
December 30, 2012
By Ed McArdle Fraudsters, thieves and con men of all types love rental cars and the companies that rent them: what scamp …
The courts are going to have to decide the issue: one that can change the future of controlled disbursement banking. Available to …
December 29, 2012
Year End Wrap Up 1996 proved to be a successful year in the legislative arena for action on a number of state …
December 29, 2012
A high-living husband and wife team could face up to 310 years in jail and $310,000 in fines – each – …
December 29, 2012
In a series of indictments returned by the state grand jury, 12 people have been charged with forgery, theft and filing …
December 29, 2012
It was a darn good scam – while it lasted. Brothers Norris “Mickey” Melancon and Robin Melancon have been carted off …
December 29, 2012
A federal grand jury in Lafayette has indicted four men in the latest scandal to hit the video poker industry. According …
December 29, 2012
In an attempt to stem future “Off The Wall Lawsuits” making it into the pages of The John Cooke Insurance Fraud Report, …
December 29, 2012
In 1988 Barton (Barry) Greenberg was sent to prison for six years and eight months following his conviction for embezzling $44 million …
John Jaffey was a Toronto wills and real estate lawyer. He had a wife and three children; his father was a …
Colonial Realty Co., owned and operated by the father-son team of Benjamin J. Sisti and Kevin P. Sisti, crashed to the …
December 29, 2012
Maybe it’s the terrific weather; maybe it’s the sandy beaches and ocean views; maybe it’s a fluke. San Diego, known as …
Corning Clinical Laboratories, a New York-based corporation, reported revenues of $1.6 billion in 1995. The government is now going to take a …
December 29, 2012
By Susan E. Clarke Coleman Allen died of heart failure and hypertension on April 6, 1996. While his family and friends may …
December 29, 2012
It’s a scheme that’s been around almost as long as check transactions. There’s nothing new about it and people still get …
December 29, 2012
Roweshea L. Burruss’s biggest claim to fame is that he’s an associate of Washington Mayor Marion Barry; his biggest claim to …
December 29, 2012
Just over two years ago, in June 1994, National Medical Enterprises, headquartered in Santa Monica, California, pleaded guilty to seven felony …
December 29, 2012
It had all the twists and turns of a grade B movie. Husband and kids go away for a day, mysterious …
It is a story that reaches halfway around the world. The two main players are Saeb Salaam, formerly the prime minister of …
December 29, 2012
The US government has reached an agreement with First National Bank of Bar Harbor after a four-year investigation into the bank’s …
December 29, 2012
When it looked like she was caught with her hand way down deep in the cookie jar, Shannon Clinkscales had a …
December 29, 2012
AK Up to 7 digits. AL 7 digits. AR Social Security number or assigned 8 digits (licensee’s option). AZ Generally Social …
December 29, 2012
A new program sponsored by the Texas Banker’s Association and the Clearing House Association of the Southwest will hopefully have a …
December 29, 2012
In a creative scam that bilked thousands of people across the country out of an estimated $1 million, a promised return …
December 29, 2012
A federal grand jury decided that 13 counts of mail fraud, nine counts of bank fraud and one count of wire …
December 29, 2012
By Wendell Rudacille Several months before I retired from police work, I was in one of the department’s yearly training sessions. …
December 29, 2012
By Leroy Cook As I walked down the stairs from the plane in Sofia, Bulgaria, April 17, 1996, I couldn’t miss the …
December 29, 2012
Welcome to our second issue of The John Cooke Financial Fraud Report. As of our press date, subscriptions have been received …
December 29, 2012
What really happened depends upon whom you ask. It began with San Diego Trust & Savings and a file memo that …
December 29, 2012
By Barry Zalma A Successful Technique Used by Interrogators Is The Bluff. A “bluff” is a statement made by the interrogator implying …
Richard E. Fudesco admitted quite a few things to a federal judge in Philadelphia. Fudesco said he had a heroin habit, …
December 29, 2012
No, we’re not talking about politicians here; we’re talking about stolen car parts: more specifically, air bags. The Highway Loss Data …
December 29, 2012
Maryland authorities announced the arrest of Francis A. Maher of Baltimore for his role in stealing workers’ compensation insurance services worth …
It started when Progressive donated $25,000 to the state police to assist in setting up a sting operation. It ended in the …
December 29, 2012
Kevin Sheldon Frederick of Edmonton is only 25 years old and he’s figured out the secret to wealth – or at …
December 29, 2012
It was the computer glitch to end all computer glitches. More than 800 customers of First National Bank of Chicago became …
December 29, 2012
By Lee S. Cole Tony Barrajas was a carpet layer. His work took him all over the upper area of the …
December 29, 2012
Delta Dental Plan of California didnUt waste any time when it suspected wrongdoing on the part of Russell F. Moon, D.D.S. of …
December 29, 2012
By Brian C. Jayne The nature of the credit card industry, being geographically widespread with an emphasis on making credit card …
In 1993, there were 2,341. In 1994, the number had dropped to a mere 44. It dropped again in 1995, to …
December 29, 2012
By Robert K. Cofod Financial fraud is an increasing problem in an industry that continues to evolve and change at a dramatic …
December 29, 2012
In 1994, David E. Sloane was arrested in a federal grand jury investigation of insurance and mail fraud. In all, 17 …
December 29, 2012
The bottom line was still the same, chiropractors paying for referrals, but the overall scam had a slightly different look on a …
December 29, 2012
David Kopecky was a worker for Hennepin County’s adult protection division. His job was to take on cases of assisting individuals …
By Jonathan E. Turner, CFE Financial institutions have always faced a special risk of theft, including fraud schemes, because …
December 29, 2012
First he has to write a check to Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey for $600,000 buckaroos, and then he has to …
December 29, 2012
So, is he really running around writing a series of bad checks, kiting funds and financially mismanaging his bail bond company? …
December 29, 2012
The bottom line was still the same, chiropractors paying for referrals, but the overall scam had a slightly different look on a …
December 29, 2012
It happened in April of this year; at least that’s when it began. A tiny pimple, one we should have paid …
By Leslie Kim I can hear the buzz among readers who have met me in person … How can that blonde …
December 29, 2012
By D. Michael Bush Albert MacKenzie was honored as the deputy district attorney of the year in Los Angeles. Presiding California Chief …
December 29, 2012
Five Star Insurance Company’s VP of Claims, Robert Dalton, reports the arrest of two insureds for insurance fraud. Amid Kinapi, 34, of …
Sadly, the Following Story is Non-Fiction Fraudulent Cancer “Cure” Attracts Desperately Ill Patients
December 29, 2012
By Shirley Eileen Fitzgerald, RN Ten days before his death, at the peak of his career, Ken was an extremely bright, vibrant, …
December 29, 2012
SOURCES: MARKETLINE INTERNATIONAL(European) NICB (USA) Country Cars Stolen per 1,000 UK 22.0 France 12.5 Norway 11.6 Belgium 9.1 Italy 8.4 Netherlands 7.2 …
December 29, 2012
By James “Rick” Youngblood, CFE Check counterfeiting has become the number one problem facing financial institutions today. For an investment of …
It was a slick trick, all right. Michael Miller and Kevin Zaharte had quite a scam going until they got nailed. …
December 29, 2012
Charles Dodge was his name. Hospital Indemnity Plans (HIP) were his game. Dodge was unemployed and had no regular source of income—so …
December 29, 2012
By Barry Zalma The collector knew good Chinese art. He was passionate about hand-carved jade. He could talk with authority on any …
December 29, 2012
Even the unique courtroom talents of F. Lee Bailey couldn’t get a Middleburg Heights doctor exonerated of charges that he bilked medical …
December 29, 2012
It’s the talk of Pope County in west-central Minnesota. Barry Erickson, a 36-year-old farmer from Glenwood, has been charged with seven …
December 29, 2012
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigative team got their perps – three of them. Suspected of costing area banks well over …
December 29, 2012
They were perfect jobs for individuals intent on perpetrating credit card fraud. First Data Corporation of Tulsa processes credit card applications …
December 29, 2012
By Leslie Kim Human nature demands that we know how things work. High-schoolers dissect frogs; pre-schoolers take apart their toys; shoppers look …
December 29, 2012
The crime of fraud is an equation. It consists of pieces. This criminal plus that method plus an element of opportunity …
December 29, 2012
Break out the glass, Lass. Just switch the VIN, Lynn. Jimmy the door, Egore. Duplicate the key, Bee. Hotwire the Ig, …
December 29, 2012
By telling you about it, we may be spoiling a future made-for-television movie plot. It’s got all the twists and turns …
December 29, 2012
In the two-year period between 1991 and 1993, check fraud cases more than doubled from the previous two years to 1.3 …
December 29, 2012
Connecticut State Police have arrested Dennis and Carol Steiger of Old Lyme and charged them with felony counts of arson, conspiracy to …
December 29, 2012
Edward J. Reiners was no small-time con man. While working for Philip Morris in computer systems until 1992, Reiners had represented …
December 29, 2012
They lived in a $400,000 home, owned two more rental homes, had a hefty savings account and a good income from a …
December 29, 2012
Results of a fraud exposure survey by the accountancy firm of Ernst and Young indicate Australian businesses are suffering a seepage of …
December 29, 2012
They’ve been at it for a year and efforts thus far have saved a whopping $350,000 in bogus claims. Since the program …
December 29, 2012
It was December 10, 1989, when Florence “Jerri” Beardslee, one of a small number of women who owned wholesale distributorships for …
December 29, 2012
What you’re about to read is a true story, scout’s honor. But does flight insurance cover something like this? One of the …
December 29, 2012
It was the stuff that mushy romance movies are made of. There he was, a nine-year veteran of the New Jersey …
December 29, 2012
San Diego County, a place where hundreds of people have been victimized by fraudulent real estate transactions, is taking some action to …
They’ve been at it for a year and efforts thus far have saved a whopping $350,000 in bogus claims. Since the program …
December 29, 2012
Her name is Maria del Socorro Rodriguez and, if a man is smart, he’ll run away from the alter as fast as …
December 29, 2012
It happened at the Forest Fair Mall in Cincinnati. A well-dressed man went from store to store, purchasing inexpensive items with $100 …
December 29, 2012
Metropolitan Toronto police know of at least 237 insurance claims and 57 staged accidents that have ties to a suspected insurance fraud …
December 29, 2012
It happened at the Forest Fair Mall in Cincinnati. A well-dressed man went from store to store, purchasing inexpensive items with $100 …
December 29, 2012
To listen to her talk was to hear the sound of coins clinking and dollars shuffling. She’d discuss her dealings with Greek …
December 29, 2012
A law was passed in 1991 that essentially allowed regulators to seize a seemingly healthy financial institution. In 1993 the law was …
December 29, 2012
It could have been worse … way worse. Francois C. Maisonneuve could have been sentenced to five years in jail and fined …
December 29, 2012
The story started barely two years ago, in October 1993. It began when a MONY salesman sold a $730,900 life insurance policy …
The coalition Against Insurance Fraud is a broad-based group established in June 1993 to combat the growing incidence and cost of …
In 1964, a San Francisco attorney represented a woman who claimed to have been injured by a cable car. The lawyer …
December 29, 2012
Editor’s Note: This month’s winning entry is unusual because the writer has requested to remain anonymous. “I am not asking for personal …
December 29, 2012
A Michigan woman, Annie Lee Cole, was recently sentenced to life in prison for her part in a 1994 plot to murder …
December 29, 2012
DAVID BALLOG – “Inside the Man, Inside the Reason” (July/Aug 1995 issue). David was sentenced to a 20-month prison term. He …
December 29, 2012
Difficulties continue for the troubled United Republic Life Insurance Co., a Utah insurance company that was seized by the Utah Insurance Department …
December 29, 2012
A stolen car ring operating between San Diego, Seattle, Newark, Buffalo and the Ukraine came to a screeching halt on August 13th …
December 29, 2012
New York Law Journal, April, 1994 The Jury Verdict Reporter conducted a ten-year study of the breakdown of jury verdicts awarded in …
December 29, 2012
In the battle against insurance fraud in Michigan, some companies fight harder than others. One of the toughest fighters is Farm Bureau, …
December 29, 2012
VIDEO MAGIC The woman said she was incapacitated by her injury. She said she couldn’t even use a broom to sweep her …
December 29, 2012
“State authorities having to play catch-up in insurance-claim scam” “Clinics dispense more paper than medicine” “Fraud Probe: Lack of control can lead …
December 29, 2012
What do you get when you combine an aggressive investigation by Progressive Insurance Company, a fearless Orange County District Attorney investigator and …
December 29, 2012
EDITOR’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING CAME IN AS A LETTER TO THE EDITOR, BUT WE FELT IT DESERVED A SEPARATE PLACEMENT BECAUSE IT …
Reform of the workers’ compensation system in seven key states was a 1993 priority of the Alliance of American Insurers, which recently …
By Leslie Kim NICB agent Bill Ports, who works the Port of Los Angeles with three US Customs agents on the Operation …
December 29, 2012
For those readers dealing in foreign claims, it helps to know that the American system of six-digit Gregorian calendar dating (i.e. 040195) …
December 29, 2012
ROM STABLES TO STASHES OF CASH, 1994’S TOP 10 INSURANCE SCAMS ARE DEVIOUS AND DIVERS WASHINGTON, D.C. – They’re diverse, devious …
December 29, 2012
By John A. Marder, Esq. California has more than a dozen different laws dealing with the problem of “capping” and “running.” Business …
By Susan Clarke “Once upon a time, there were two brothers, three 1967 Corvette convertibles, three phony insurance claims and five phony …
December 29, 2012
COALITION PASSES MODEL BILL ESTABLISHING FRAUD UNITS Washington D.C.—States would get a new full-fledged law enforcement unit devoted to fighting the multi-billion …
December 29, 2012
Billing insurance companies for $36,651 in treatments allegedly never provided may carry a far more expensive price tag for Doctor James Smiley, …
December 29, 2012
It worked like this: Wayne Robert Johnson of Dublin, California, bought a disability policy that would make his house payment if he …
December 29, 2012
On April 25, Michael Schreiber, the owner of Schreiber Coach Works, a south Florida body shop, pleaded no contest to two felony …
December 29, 2012
By Robert F. Kegel, Staff Writer Investigations of fraudulent insurance claims, especially those of the disability and/or workers’ compensation variety, often …
By Dr. Alex G. Peros, D.C. SIGN-IN SHEETS will indicate whether the claimant was in on that particular day for treatment. This …
December 29, 2012
Here’s how it works: Each claim involves a luxury car that is stolen, and stripped of its audio system, seats, interior door …
December 29, 2012
We have fielded hundreds of phone calls since the premiere issue of “The John Cooke Fraud Report” rolled off the presses at …
By Kirby G. Huget, Esq. Research suggests that a significant percentage of all automobile and property/casualty claims are inflated, if not fraudulent …
December 28, 2012
Editor’s Note: These gems have been making the fax machine rounds for years. We print them here for your amusement… “A pedestrian …
By Ed McArdle Fraud against car rental companies is both easy and profitable. A person does not need the investment of a …
By Barry Zalma Recently the Fraud Bureau arrested a young woman in Los Angeles County for operating an insurance fraud school. …
December 28, 2012
In spite of support from over 400 organizations throughout the state of Arizona, Propositions 103 and 301 were soundly rejected by Arizona voters on …
December 28, 2012
On February 1, Orange County, California, District Attorney Michael R. Capizzi announced the unsealing of nine grand jury indictments against 20 suspects …
December 28, 2012
Statistics report that combined efforts by law enforcement agencies, insurance companies and consumers are putting a dent in auto theft. The number …
December 28, 2012
By Susan E. Clarke (Editor’s note: The names of some of the individuals have been changed to protect the integrity of ongoing …
By Leslie Kim I can hear the buzz among readers who have met me in person … How can that blonde …
PRIOR TO REFERRING an alleged fraud case to the Nevada Attorney General for possible criminal prosecution on workers’ compensation fraud, the following …
December 28, 2012
AROUND THE COUNTRY COLORADO Willful misrepresentation by an insured can now result in coverage being revoked DELAWARE A bill to create a …
December 28, 2012
Editor’s Note: The following article is presented in QUESTION(JCFR)/ANSWER(Di Liberto) format. All answers were taken directly from comments delivered by John Di …
December 28, 2012
The Smoking Gun: Electronic messages and voice mail, candid and relatively casual forms of corporate communications, increasingly are providing the most incriminating …
December 28, 2012
By Leslie Kim Imagine this: You’re a career fireperson, your performance and credentials are impecable, and suddenly your chief assigns you a …
December 28, 2012
While Sam the Accelerant Sniffing Fire Dog (see The John Cooke Fraud Report, July/August 1994 issue) is an indisputably fine tool …
December 28, 2012
The scam appears to have started in Oregon in 1984. Randal Melcher began his 11-year journey through workers’ compensation insurance fraud land, …
December 28, 2012
By D. Michael Bush In Los Angeles, an insurance company recently filed suit against a group of lawyers and doctors who were …
There are two little words that strike terror into the collective hearts of less than ethical New Mexico health care providers. T …
December 28, 2012
By Susan E. Clarke Staff Writer An article in the May 1995 issue of the Journal of Hand Surgery discussing the Australian …
December 28, 2012
Theanyi Onykewere was lured into insurance fraud by the promise of easy money. At least that’s what his attorney says. After a …
December 28, 2012
Fire Cause Analysis, a division of IFT in Berkeley, California, recently hired two new furry employees, Cinder and Ott. Cinder and Ott …
December 28, 2012
A former student at the University of Idaho, Moscow, is seeking $940,000 as compensation for an “accident” suffered while living in …
December 28, 2012
By D. Michael Bush, Esq. CALIFORNIA The California State Bar is considering the proper means by which an attorney can bill for …
December 28, 2012
By D. Michael Bush, Esq. CALIFORNIA Several years ago, California voters passed the “Victim’s Bill of Rights”. The bill, in part, allowed …
December 28, 2012
A couple of weeks ago, I attended a seminar given by a chiroprac-tor on how a chiropractor can expand his own business …
December 28, 2012
By Miles A. Hebding For many years, there have been reports of fraudulent death claims originating in foreign countries utilizing forged documents …
December 28, 2012
Dear Mr. Bossman: FIRST NOTIFICATION OF LOSS: My husband, Jiggs Monroe, cannot be at work today because of his accident last week. …
December 28, 2012
Editors note: We’re here in Honolulu, talking to Dewey H. Kim, Jr., Deputy Attorney General, State of Hawaii, who was the force …
By Impact General, Inc. The claim arrived on the adjuster’s desk looking like so many other claims. Rear impact, low speed, four …
December 28, 2012
The case brought to light in the Gotcha column (John Cooke Fraud Report, September/October 1995 issue) about the taxi driver who …
By Steve Pastis Changes in the U.S. Customs’ Operation Outlook program, influenced by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, will make it increasingly …
December 28, 2012
By D. Michael Bush, Esq. CALIFORNIA The California State Bar is considering the proper means by which an attorney can bill for …
December 28, 2012
Modality Billing Codes 97010 hot or cold packs 97012 mechanical traction 97014 electrical stimulation (unattended) 97016 vasopneumatic devices 97018 paraffin bath 97020 …
December 28, 2012
By Barry Zalma The insured was 82 years old and bored. She was born shortly after the turn of the century …
December 28, 2012
By Susan E. Clarke Helpful information — information that will assist the fraud-fighting professional — is often available if you just know …
December 28, 2012
Is turnabout fair play? Are some con games okay, depending only on who’s getting taken advantage of? Say hello to Bruce Gordon, …
December 28, 2012
Once upon a time, a television reporter was given a difficult assignment. His boss wanted video and audio recordings of the …
By Stephen Taylor Some SIU’s have been disappointed when their perjury referrals were turned down for prosecution. The usual reason for the …
December 28, 2012
By John H. Garrison, CPCU Editors note: The following article appears because we believe that understanding the history and concept behind the …
December 28, 2012
Welcome Delaware to the growing list of states that arrest folks for committing insurance fraud. Wilmington resident Frederick Maahs, owner of a …
December 28, 2012
A 1938 MG TA Tickford, valued at $125,000, was only one of the nine classic cars reported lost by Dr. George H. …
December 28, 2012
Copyright Michael Nielson 1991. Reprinted with permission Traditional interviewing techniques used by law enforcement officers have not changed much in several decades. …
Editor’s Note: Just two weeks “out of the gate” with our Premiere Issue, we were faced with a major decision as to …
December 28, 2012
Despite a flurry of motions to dismiss and motions to sever the cases of various defendants, as of this date, the trial …
What do you get when you add three brothers, one ex-wife, a crooked lawyer, and five assorted friends? How about $2.75 million? …
By Richard Harer Never in our history has there been greater and quicker access to public record information data. As one major …
December 28, 2012
By Sherry Miller Credit headers can be a powerful tool if used effectively by the investigator. Let’s look briefly at what credit …
By Susan Miura The red flags are shooting up one by one. An injured employee has filed a workers’ compensation claim against …
December 28, 2012
By Barry Zalma The brothers were operating a successful bar and grill in the steel mill town of Fontana, California. Drawing …
December 28, 2012
ALLIGATORING: A term used by fire investigators in the discussion of fire spread patterns and fire point indicators. The general usage is …
December 28, 2012
By John Jansen Russell (Rusty) DelGrosso was indicted by the Grand Jury in Anchorage last year for a five count felony indictment …
December 28, 2012
By G. Andrew Nagle, Esq. Claim representatives and insurers face civil and criminal liability exposure for statements and writings made to others …
December 28, 2012
Lloyd Mitchell Weaver Jr. thought he would die before they caught up with him — so why die poor when he could …
December 28, 2012
Oops! The September/October issue of The John Cooke Fraud Report (How the West Fights Fraud, page 16) erroneously reported that the State …
December 28, 2012
The John Cooke Fraud Report will focus on a different state in each issue and attempt to provide a glimpse of some …
December 28, 2012
Arson-for-profit, with its many faces, is a dangerous and sometimes deadly form of insurance fraud. By Michael Diegel In 560 cases in …
December 28, 2012
By Leslie Kim Health care fraud is not new. Companies have recognized its existence for many years. Until the late 70’s the …
December 28, 2012
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1994 By Steve Pastis 5:00 a.m.: Driving up the Santa Ana Freeway from Orange County, I start wondering what …
The State of Utah is writing a success story when it comes to cracking down on fraudsters. Since opening the doors of …
December 28, 2012
The Nevada Attorney General’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit is racking up points for successful prosecutions. An investigation by the unit has …
December 28, 2012
Important new guidelines issued by a federal agency study group provide powerful ammunition for insurers fighting against over treatment for lower …
December 28, 2012
A July 19, 1995, draft audit by the General Accounting Office leaves First American Health Care with a lot of explaining to …
December 28, 2012
All carriers need to be sensitive towards good faith handling of claims for catastrophe victims. However, massive disasters overload insurance claims personnel. …
December 28, 2012
Hugh Clarence Johnson: pilot, Vietnam veteran, former president of two veteran’s associations and the Cotati Chamber of Commerce, member of numerous …
December 28, 2012
By Donald Perkins If a person is unscrupulous enough to set or cause to set a fire, he/she will usually be fraudulent …
December 28, 2012
California regulators called it the biggest case of workers’ compensation fraud in the state’s history. James Eisenberg, a Santa Monica physician, and …
December 28, 2012
From the onset, Vincent M. Marconi did not have the interests of the California workers’ compensation system as a priority. Marconi, of …
December 28, 2012
t’s already 1996 and (mea culpa!) we are late, late, late. The reason? I am being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the …
December 28, 2012
1995…only days away as we go to press with our January/February issue – and already here as you read these pages. This …
December 28, 2012
This is a 32-page paper. That’s how we started and that’s what the business plan called for. Just a simple, little, 32-page …
December 28, 2012
Contrary to the informational biography we printed in our January/February issue, Paul Conway is not a Western States Supervisor with Fireman’s Fund. …
December 28, 2012
We swear this story is true. Only the names have been changed. Amanda Sue twiddled her thumbs and wished a hasty end …
December 28, 2012
The issue in front of you is number seven. John Cooke is now one year old. We’ve experienced many exciting things this …
December 28, 2012
September, the time of year the most often asked phrase in America becomes, “Tell me what you learned today (insert name here).” …
December 28, 2012
In the wee hours of the night, while putting together the usual 48 pages of this issue of The John Cooke Fraud …
December 28, 2012
Insurance Fraud Charges Levied Against UCI Clinic Or “I’ll Have 2 Poached Eggs To Go” By Susan E. Clarke With the many …
December 28, 2012
Thelma Bowman, a former personnel supervisor for the city of Los Angeles, seemed to have it all—a big, new home, a nice …
December 28, 2012
Insurance fraud, arson, falsification of asbestos reports – a recent case against Daniel Fern, president of Air Environment Research Services – a …
December 28, 2012
For those readers dealing in foreign claims, it helps to know that the American system of six-digit Gregorian calendar dating (i.e. 040195) …
December 28, 2012
A Northbrook, Illinois-based health care services company has pulled its hand out of the cookie jar so that it can write some …
December 28, 2012
By Susan Miura Like taking candy from a baby – for some, that is how easy it is to make a bundle …
December 28, 2012
By Nikki Frey DISASTERS Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Iniki and the Northridge earthquake were three of the biggest disasters in this century, and …
December 28, 2012
By Stephen Taylor In San Joaquin County, several insurance fraud prosecutions have gone to preliminary hearings and one to jury trial. In …
December 28, 2012
Joseph Patrick Douze, a chiropractor from Palm Beach County, Florida, was living the high life. He drove an expensive car, wore fashionable …
December 28, 2012
By Leslie Kim If you are among the fortunate, you have heard David speak. The National Insurance Crime Bureau, in a decision …
December 28, 2012
Former San Jose California Highway Patrol officer Eric Vincent McCoy, 30, was convicted on two felony charges on June 13 after a …
December 28, 2012
(with apologies to Dick Tracy) By Armando G. Cuellar, Jr. Friday afternoon found Elihu thinking about the weekend, the children’s soccer game …
By Robert W. Gottlieb The ultimate objective of the insurer in the adjustment of a claim is to achieve a fair result …
December 28, 2012
Stolen (without shame) from an issue of “SIU Perspectives,” the publication of the South Florida Chapter of IASIU. This excerpt is from …
By Steve Pastis A focused enforcement effort to fight Oldsmobile Cutlass thefts in the San Francisco Bay area has already started showing …
December 28, 2012
The story is reminiscent of the famed Winchester House. The stairs usually lead to nowhere, the halls go around in circles and …
December 28, 2012
By Eric Tackett, 1994 Published by Laser Tech Finally, a neat, complete, well-written manual that walks the reader through the complicated world …
December 28, 2012
By Susan Clarke As insurance companies attempt to reduce their expenses, more companies are turning to direct repair programs. These programs can …
December 28, 2012
There was only one suspect in the May 29, 1995, early-morning arson fire that killed Lucy Morita, her three children and a …
December 28, 2012
By Joseph J. Sheehan Aggressive investigation of suspect claims can save insurers millions of dollars that might otherwise be paid out …
December 28, 2012
By Leslie Kim It is the largest scale insurance fraud investigation in the history of New York State, compared by some to …
December 28, 2012
By Susan Clarke What is an airbag? Well, it depends on your point of view. If you are a typical consumer, an …
December 28, 2012
Addressing The White House Conference on Aging in May 1995, President Clinton called for a crackdown on Medicare fraud. Citing such abuses …
December 28, 2012
On January 27, 1994, one of the largest workers’ compensation fraud rings in Los Angeles history was cracked with the arrest of …
December 28, 2012
Mark Bruck of Westfield, Massachusetts, was the owner/operator of Advance Resins, a plastic recycling business. Over a period of several years, Bruck …
By Judy Dennis When a patient has a back injury, it is sometimes difficult to tell from the report what the doctor …
Imagine never having to buy auto insurance – until you have an accident. Then imagine being able to simply walk into …
December 28, 2012
When a claim report for an automobile fire is made, it is very important to treat the claim as legitimate to avoid …
December 28, 2012
The California Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3 to 5 late at night on June 21 to kill Assembly Bill 2843. The …
By Eric Tackett The claimant (we’ll call him Bob) was a 35-year-old journeyman carpenter. His hobbies were boating, water skiing and drinking …
December 28, 2012
Three Providence-area (RI) men pleaded guilty in US District Court to defrauding 12 insurance companies of more than $128,000. Edward Voccola, the …
December 28, 2012
By Barry Zalma In 1990 Moshe Ben-Moshe and Menashe Ben-Moshe started a course of conduct that led to their recent arrest …
December 28, 2012
New York Law Journal – Reprint with Permission Not only was the group of car thieves organized, they also had expensive tastes …
December 28, 2012
You are a health care insurance executive. You suspect your company is being ripped off by certain medical professionals, or policyholders, or even your …
December 28, 2012
Two California attorneys were among four people arrested last month on suspicion of felony insurance fraud. The two attorneys, Conrad Salumbides of …
December 28, 2012
By Susan E. Clarke California attorney Robert Standard – who was convicted of five felony counts on September 6, 1994 – …
Federal prosecutors in California arrested four attorneys, two law office administrators and one chiropractor on September 28, 1995. They were all …
December 28, 2012
FLORIDA The Florida State Legislature has inaugurated a new online service – free to all except for toll charges. Called “Online Sunshine,” …
Dr. H. H. Holmes began his public criminal career in the ‘80’s in Chicago. He amassed a large amount of money through …
December 28, 2012
Schaumburg, IL — The Alliance of American Insurers has released the 1995 edition of its definitive Survey of Workers’ Compensation Laws, …
December 27, 2012
By Barry Zalma He was born J.C. Hampton on a farm in South Carolina on June 6, 1955. The midwife who delivered …
December 27, 2012
We’ve added color and we’ve added eight more pages. With increased advertising and a never-ending stream of material arriving, there was …
December 27, 2012
Welcome to the premiere issue of “The John Cooke Fraud Report.” Our Western States Edition covers fraud news from California, Oregon, Washington, …
December 27, 2012
By Barry Zalma The insured had no respect for his insurance company. He expected them to pay any claim he presented. He …
December 27, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Susan Nolan Candace Thorson NCOIL National Office 518-687-0178 Washington, DC, March 3, 2009 — Lawmakers at the National …
December 27, 2012
Interview: Lois Duncan “Who Killed My Daughter” The Story of Kaitlyn Arquette Editor’s Note: JCFR has been covering insurance fraud stories …
December 27, 2012
The insurance industry is required to follow stringent rules when filming claimants. There are restrictions on where you can film, what …
December 27, 2012
The year is 2017. The teleportation machine is still glowing as we walk into the building that houses “The Futuristic Insurance …
December 27, 2012
By: Leslie Kim When Vladymir and Svetlana Petrovich arrived in the US in 1991, part of a large group of Russians fleeing …
December 27, 2012
What’s an easy way to acquire interest in two buildings in San Francisco, a condominium in Las Vegas and a condominium in …
December 27, 2012
The main difference between the situation in China and Britain is that the Chinese have a massive number of first names …
December 27, 2012
By Bill Lundy Some philosopher (of whose name I have no clue) once said, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Some …
December 27, 2012
By Bill Lundy There is no such thing as a Bad SIU. Now that’s quite a statement to be made in times …
December 27, 2012
The courtroom looks like the stage for a Houghtaling family reunion. On trial are brothers Frank and Joseph Houghtaling, their twin sister …
December 27, 2012
© 2007 Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE Before insurance fraud can be discussed it is essential to understand that, as the Restatement …
December 27, 2012
Imagine that there are five people sitting around a table in Anytown USA. The first person is a short, squat New York …
December 27, 2012
Gift Card Fraud is the new kid in town. Plenty of towns, in fact. One of the more recent cases was just …
December 27, 2012
By Leslie Kim Many moons ago I found myself standing in front of a very large just-after-breakfast audience as an opening keynote …
December 27, 2012
The fraud and law enforcement communities have lost a champion. I’d like to tell his story, because it has relevance to …
December 27, 2012
More often than not, bodies are buried in US cemeteries with the head on the west end of the grave. Wondering …
After a cautious and rigorous analysis of national malpractice claims, Johns Hopkins patient safety researchers estimate that a surgeon in the United …
December 26, 2012
A study in New York done by the Fiscal Policy Institute reported that an estimated 15% of payroll had not been reported …
December 26, 2012
Along with fluctuations in the overall economy, comes the spawning of new forms of insurance fraud. Take, for instance, Gap Insurance Fraud, …
December 26, 2012
Three cheers for the Seventh District Circuit Court, for doing (04/04) an excellent job of imposing justice. Krishnaswami Sriram admitted in Federal …
December 26, 2012
Once in awhile a story comes across my desk in which I have a personal stake. It doesn’t happen often, but coming …
December 26, 2012
It took jurors only three hours to convict Marguerite Bork of Second degree murder. She’s facing 25 years to life in prison …
December 26, 2012
By Dr. Barry L. Johnson Fraudulent medical schemes are a growing problem in the health and property/casualty insurance sectors. In fact, they …
December 26, 2012
In yet another creative business venture, a 61 year old former Binghampton, NY, realtor is on his way to prison to serve …
December 26, 2012
© 2008 Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE According to Arizona law, only those benefits received as a result of the fraud must …
December 26, 2012
Imagine this scenario. Doctors, “cappers” and board-and-care administrators cooperate to make elderly, infirm and mentally ill patients available to get unnecessary respiratory …
December 27, 2007
This review of naming practices around the world has hopefully made clear that so many of the implicit assumptions that citizens …
December 27, 2000
India is such a huge country that there are many different naming practices and traditions and the main influences are region and …
December 27, 2000
The Arab world covers a band of North Africa and the Middle East where 20 countries have Arabic as the main language. Overwhelmingly …
December 27, 2000
Each Mother’s Day in the United States, the Commissioner of Social Security publishes the most popular baby names based on all social …
December 27, 2000
In Eastern European countries, it is much more common than in Western European countries for children to have the same first …
December 27, 2000
Some first names commonly used in English-speaking countries have equivalents in almost all European nations – notably John and George for …
December 27, 2000
First names In some cultures, the relationship between first names and vocabulary words is transparent, that is the names are just …
December 27, 2000
I have a Chinese friend called Zhihao who lives in London with his wife Hua. We first met Hua on the …
By Leroy Cook For over a hundred years, they’ve shaped the view of the world of the private investigator. Who are they? …
December 27, 1999
As former British colonies, Australia and New Zealand largely have the same naming practices as Britain, except that some first names are more common in …
December 27, 1999
In Israel, as one would expect of a Jewish population, first names are frequently taken from the Old Testament of the Bible – …
December 27, 1999
Names in Africa reflect the diverse nature of this huge continent, so the Arab countries of the north and Muslim families elsewhere follow …
December 27, 1999
In Japan, first names are written in kanji or Chinese characters, though some names are written in hiragana or katakana characters, meaning that …
December 27, 1999
The Vietnamese were dominated by the Chinese for a thousand years (from 1st-9th century), so they share many features of naming …
January 24, 1999
By Leslie Kim Buenos Aires, Argentina September, 1999 The sights: The city is often called the Paris of the Western hemisphere. Ultra …
January 24, 1999
Understanding the naming conventions of other cultures is important for an investigator or for anyone wishing to certainly and correctly identify people …
January 16, 1999
Understanding the naming conventions of non-European cultures is important for an investigator or anyone wishing to certainly and correctly identify people in …
January 15, 1999
Understanding the naming conventions of non-European cultures is important for an investigator or anyone wishing to certainly and correctly identify people in …
January 1, 1997
David Crist was born in 1958; Scott Crist, in 1959. They were raised in a stone and shingle house in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. …